The Scots gard'ner together with The gard'ners kalendar

Ex

Libris
BEATRIX
FARRAND

REEF POINT GARDENS
LIBRARY

The Gift of Beatrix Farrand

to the General Library
University of California, Berkeley

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

To me . . . he stands essentially as a genius loci. It
is impossible to separate his spare form and old straw
hat from the garden in the lap of the hill, with its
rocks overgrown with clematis, its shadowy walks,
and the splendid breadth of champaign that one saw
from the north-west corner. The gardenand gardener
seem part and parcel of each other.

"An Old Scotch Gardener"

(ROBERT Louis STEVENSON in

" Memories and Portraits.")

A gardener is Scotch, as a French teacher is
Parisian.

(GEORGE ELIOT in

"AdamBede")

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

TOGETHER WITH

THE GARD'NERS KALENDAR

BY

JOHN ,REID

EDITED BY

ALFRED H. HYATT

WITH AN APPRECIATION BY

THE EARL OF ROSEBERY

T. N. FOULIS

23 BEDFORD STREET, LONDON,
W.C.; AND AT EDINBURGH. 1907

Iddfl

LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE

2697

APPRECIATION

THE RT. HON. THE EARL OF ROSEBERY,

If I might parody what I saw was said by an Irish
Judge, lately deceased, it is that, " / yield to no one
in ignorance of scientific horticulture." lam not sure
that this is not one of the cases in which the ignorant
have almost the best of it. I admit that, when I walk
with an expert through a garden, I feel an ignorance,
a humiliation, which is almost abysmal. But I recol-
lect, after all, that I may be the happier of the two.
The expert knows all the weaknesses and all the short-
comings in his garden. A she shows you his hothouses
he is stung by the recollection of superior hothouses
belonging to a rival ; as he shows you his fruits he
remembers other fruits which have defeated him at
an horticultural show, and he is ahvays haunted by
the recollection of the orchids which he does not possess.
On the other hand, the ignoramus walks blandly
along enjoying without cavil the simple beauty of
the flowers, enjoying what Lord Bacon has so finely
called their breath, en joy ing all their per fume and all
the variety which a garden can give without question
and ivithout afterthought. If he sees a weed which
would distress the expert, if he sees groundsel growing

430

APPRECIATION

^vhereit should notgroiv, he thinks only of his canary;
and as for orchids, when he asks his soul and his con-
science, he infinitely prefers a sweet pea. This, then,
if lam right, is one of the cases so finely summed up
by the poet when he says : —

" Where ignorance is bliss,

'Tis folly to be wise"

A nd, indeed, one does not covet the wisdom of the expert
when he reels out those long Latinnames, in false and
barbarous Latin, of the various plants that you ad-
mire— names which he sometimes remembers, but, if
I am not wrong, more often invents — and which the
ignoramus, like myself, only listens to with pitying
wonder that a science so beautiful as horticulture
should be bound up with such technical terms. There
is another way in which we ignorant people can en-
joy gardens. There is the literature of horticulture.
Publishers, I believe, will tell you that there is nothing
that pays so well as a book on gardens. But the books
that I love best on gardens were published at a time
vvhen one may safely say that publishers did not
care whether they brought in a profit or not. There
is, for example, Lord Bacons essays, containing one
exquisite essay on gardening which sums up in a
sentence the best that can be said of gardening : —

vi

APPRECIATION

" God Almighty first planted a garden. And, indeed,
it is the purest of human pleasures. It is the greatest
refreshment to the spirits of man, without which,
buildings and palaces are but gross handiworks."
Well, you can say nothing better of gardens than that.
But I take up another book, written by an author not
nearly so well known as Lord Bacon, but one who has
a homely interest for ourselves. He is Mr John Reid,
who published a book in the reign of Charles II., which
is called The Scots Gard'ner. It is a delightful book
to read, perhaps even more delightful for those who
know nothing about the subject than for those who
do. I strongly recommend anyone to turn up this
old book of Mr John Reid's, published in 1683. He
tells you all about the Scottish garden of that time, he
tells you all about the kitchen garden, and the pleasure
garden, and, what I think he attached more import-
ance to than anything, the physic garden — where he
grew those medicinal herbs in which, I fear, we have
come to lose some confidence. How many of those
herbs are now growing in Scottish gardens, and what
benefits are to be anticipated from them ? These are :
garden rue, golden rod, feverfew, vernain, celandine,
wormwood, comfrey, Solomons seal, callamint, mas-
terwort, ivall pellitory, garden germander, betony,

vii

APPRECIATION

camomile, swalloxv- wort, southernwood, lovage, dwarf
elder, hart's tongue, maidenhair, asrum, dogwort,
birthwort, horehound, spignell, bears-breech, sea
holly, madder, rhubarb, dog mercury, angelica, scurvy
grass, blessed thistle, tobacco, stinking arag, oak of
Jerusalem, and so forth. I might indefinitely pro-
long the list. What then I say is this, that we ig-
noramuses who know very little about it, can derive
a pure pleasure, not merely from the contemplation
of gardens, but from the reading of books about them.
When people are very much wearied by business, I
do not know of a better recipe to cheer and soothe their
minds than by taking up one or two books. One is a
book about gardens, which, if you shut your eyes after
reading it, enables you to see the picture before you,
and to lull yourself with imaginary sights and im-
aginary scents. Let me give you a passage out of Lord
Bacons essay which will illustrate what I mean. He
says this : — " For the heath, which was the third part
of our plot, I wished it to be framed as much as may
be to a natural wildness. Trees I would have none
in it, but some thickets made only of sweetbrier and
honeysuckle, and some wild vines amongst ; and the
ground set with violets, strawberries, and primroses.
For these are sweet andproperin the shade. A nd these

viii

APPRECIATION

are to be in the heath, here and there,not in any order.
Hike also little heaps in the nature of molehills (such
as are in wild heaths) to be set, some with wild thyme,
some with pinks, some with germander that gives a
good flower to the eye ; some with periwinkle, some
with violets, some tvith strawberries, some with cows-
lips, some with daisies, some with red roses, some
with lilium convallium, some with sweet-williams
red, some with bears foot, and the like low flowers,
being withal sweet and sightly." Now, after you read
that and shut your eyes, can you not picture that
wild heath before you ? Can you not derive from the
imagination a sense of enjoyment from that printed
page ? If you cannot, I think you should be able to,
and that in our short Scottish winter days we should
from the literature of gardens be able to conjure up
something of our own summer delights.

EDITOR'S NOTE

The Scottish gardener is well known to be pre-emi-
nent in all things relating to the art of " floristry "
and horticulture. This valuable and practical little
treatise, The Scots Gardner, by John Reid, was
published at Edinburgh in 1683. In his book he sets
forth in the plainest and homeliest way his idea
as to what a model house should be, and how the
garden, both profitable and pleasant, should be
arranged. Explicit in every detail, and exact in
each matter of procedure, John Reid takes those
whom he would instruct step by step from the
initial moment of planning a new house to the
formation of the garden, and still further on to
the matured pleasance.

I give on the opposite page a facsimile of the
title-page of the book as originally issued.

In the second edition of the volume published in
1756, and edited by "an eminent hand," we are
told that our author was gardener to Sir George
Mackenzie of Rosehaugh. The gardens of this
mansion, situated at Avoch, Ross-shire, were at
this latter date noted for their beauty. We are
informed in the pages of a contemporary topo-
graphical dictionary of Scotland that " Rosehaugh

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

THE FIRST OF CONTRIVING AND PLANTING

GARDENS, ORCHARDS, AVENUES,
GROVES

WITH NEW AND PROFITABLE WAYES OF LEVELLING ; AND
HOW TO MEASURE AND DIVIDE LAND

THE SECOND OF THE PROPAGATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF

FORREST AND FRUIT-TREES, KITCHEN
HEARBES AND FRUITS

WITH SOME PHYSIC ALL HEARBES, SHRUBS, AND FLOWERS

APPENDIX SHOWING
HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN

WHEREUNTO IS ADDED

THE GARD'NERS KALENDAR

PUBLISHED FOR THE CLIMATE OF SCOTLAND BY

JOHN REID, GARD'NER

EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY DAVID LINDSAY AND HIS
PARTNERS, AT THE FOOT OF HERIOT'S BRIDGE, 1683

EDITOR S NOTE

House is surrounded with extensive plantations
and well-cultivated grounds." Their beauty was
probably due to the care bestowed upon them by
the untiring efforts of this wise old gardener.

We must return to the old authors of gardening
books, such, for instance, as the work before us, if,
to quote Bacon's well-known words, we would know
" the true pleasure of a garden."

The Scots Gard'nerwas published fifty years after
Parkinson's ever-delightful Paradisi in Sole, Para-
disus Terrestris, and, in many ways, the charms of
both books are similar. In the case of John Reid,
we must not be too exact about fine writing, and
forgive him for his faulty syntax. The following
pages stand as originally written ; only in a few
places have grammatical errors been remedied.

My thanks are due to Lord Rosebery for so kindly
allowing me to add his appreciation of the book
which was embodied in a speech made by him in
Waverley Market, Edinburgh, September 1901.

To what he has already said it would be super-
fluous for me to add further words in praise of
The Scots Gardner.

ALFRED H. HYATT.

Autumn 1906.

TO ALL

THE INGENIOUS PLANTERS

IN

SCOTLAND

/ desire you to peruse this book, for there are many
things in it of singular use, which I could never find
in any, and the substance of what I could find ma-
terial (in the practical part of gardnery) improven
and apply ed home ; whereby I presume it may be
satisfactory to you, when you operate in the choice
of husbandry. Several weighty reasons induced me
hereunto; as, the great necessity of right contrivance,
whereby you may do your works both orderly and
cheap; the in-expressible need of inclosing and plant-
ing, whereby you may improve your estates to the
best advantage, both for profit and pleasure. And
because the many books on gardnery are for other
countries and climates, and many things in them
more speculative thanpractical : this ensuing treatise
the rather be acceptable ; albeit obnoodous to the un-
doubted censure of criticks, yet when I reflect on my
innocency in the design therein (the good of my
country), I receive encouragement. And that my
endeavours may prove successful, is the earnest
desire of JOHN REID.

THE CONTENTS

OF THE FIRST PART, WHICH TREATS OF

CONTRIVANCE

CHAPTER I

HOW TO MAKE THE WORKS ABOUT A HOUSE
REGULAR

PAGE

1. The Introduction. 2. The model of a house. 3. The
foundation of contriving. 4. To find the central line. 5.
Example by a draught, how to place the works. 6. What
to do where confined or limited .... 3

CHAPTER II
HOW TO MAKE AVENUES AND WALKES

1. Some generals anent walkes. 2. How to stake out the
avenue. 3. How to run a walk through a wood. 4. What
to do over hills and great distances. 5. To set off paralles
where obstructions are. 6. Figures for avenues to end in,
lead to, and pass through. 7. The distance of trees in walkes 9

CHAPTER III
HOW TO PLANT THICKETS AND ORCHARDS

1. How they should stand by the fence. 2. Of the several
figures that will admit of order. 3. Of the several wayes of

xiv

CONTENTS

PAGE

planting. 4. The first way squair. 5. The second rom-
busoical. 6. The third triangular. 7. A fourth depending
on the first. 8. A fifth and notable way. 9. A sixth way
observing the central line. 10. The distance of trees in
thickets and orchards . . . . .17

CHAPTER IV
HOW TO MAKE THE KITCHEN-GARDEN

1. The methode and draught. 2. The proportion and
order of planting and sowing therein. 3. Of uniformity to
be observed. 4. A place for physik hearbs. 5. Of walls, and
of the distance of dwarff and wall-trees . . .29

CHAPTER V

HOW TO MAKE THE PLEASURE-GARDEN
1. What draught I fancy best. 2. Of boxing for all gar-
dens. 3. Of the proportion of walks. 4. To lay grass. 5. Of
brick walls. 6. To lay gravel. 7. The orderly wayes of
planting flowers. 8. Of terrase walks. 9. Of pondes . 36

CHAPTER VI
HOW TO LEVEL GROUND

1. Of the horizontal and sloping level. 2. To proportion
the level to the ground. 3. How to do with bad-lying plots.
4. How to level great lengthes. 5. How to do over obstruc-
tions. 6. Of the solidity of earth. 7. A practice which is
the cheapest way. 8. To bring water in pipes . . 45

xv

THE CONTENTS

OF THE SECOND PART, WHICH TREATS OF

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

CHAPTER I
OF THE SEVERAL WAYES OF PROPAGATION

PAGE

1. The Introduction. 2. The several waves are : 3. First
by seeds. 4. Secondly by off-sets. 5. Thirdly by cuttings.
6. Fourthly by laying. 7. Fifthly by circumposition.
8. Sixthly by graffing. 9. Lastly by inoculation. 10. Of
planting, pruning, &c. . . . . .61

CHAPTER II
HOW TO CULTIVATE AND PREPARE GROUNDS

1. Of trenching. 2. Of fallowing. 3. Several wayes of
improving land. 4. Of the best and worst soyls, and how
to enrich them. 5. What manures are proper for the soyls.
6. What sorts are proper for plants. 7. How to make hot-
beds. 8. Of watering ..... 79

CHAPTER III
HOW TO PROPAGATE AND ORDER FORREST-TREES

1. How to govern them in seminary and nurserie. 2.
When their seeds are ripe, when to sow, in what soyl, when
they spring, &c. 3. How to transplant out forrest-trees.
4. How to prune them . . . . .92

xvi

CONTENTS

CHAPTER IV
OF HEDGES AND INCLOSURES

PAGE

1. What I esteem best for hedges. 2. How to plant and
keep holly hedges. 3. How to plant and keep hawthorn.
4. How to make ditches. 5. How to have trees round for
shelter. 6. Of fencing the quicks from beasts . .109

CHAPTER V
HOW TO PEOP AGATE AND ORDER FRUIT-TREES

1. Observations on grafting, &c. 2. What soyl they
delight in, and how propagated. 3. To raise stocks and
govern young trees in seminary and nurserie. 4. How to
transplant out fruit-trees. 5. How to prune both wall and
standard. 6. To prevent and cure the diseases of all trees.
7. To destroy vermin, &c. . . . . .114

CHAPTER VI
OF FRUITS, HEARBS, AND ROOTS FOR THE KITCHEN

1. Of the fruits of smaller plants. 2. Of sallads and pot-
hearbs. 3. Of sweet hearbs. 4. Of roots. 5. Of weeding
in general ....... 134

CHAPTER VII
OF SOME PHYSICK-HERBES, SHRUBS, AND FLOWERS

1. Physick hearbs distinguished into perennials and
annuals. 2. Shrubs distinguished into dry and green.
3. Flowers into fibrous, bulbous, and annuals. 4. How to
preserve the tender sorts in winter . . .150

xvii

CONTENTS

APPENDIX
HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN

PAGE

1. The manner and season of gathering them. 2. How to
preserve them when gathered. 3. Of their uses. 4. How
we may have dishes of them. 5. To choice their species for
our plantations . . . . . .163

CONCLUSION
Proposing Scotland's improvement . . .179

THE GARD'NERS KALENDAR

Shewing each moneth —

When to performe the particulars, &c. What garden
dishes and drinks are in season . .183

THE FIRST PART

TREATING OF

CONTRIVANCE

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

CHAPTER I

HOW TO MAKE THE WORKS ABOUT A HOUSE
REGULAR

As the sun is the centre of this world ; as the heart
of man is the centre of man ; as the nose is the centre
of the face ; and as it is unseemly to see a man want-
ing a leg, one arme, &c., or his nose standing at one
side the face, or not streight, or wanting a cheek,
ane eye, ane ear, or with one (or all of them) great
at one side and small on the other ; just so with
the house-courts, avenues, gardens, orchards, &c.,
where regularity or uniformity is not observed.

My designe, by contrivance, is to prevent the con-
sequences of inadvertency, or the abrupt procedure
in inclosing and planting. Here in the entrance you
may take a view of a house which I have invented.
It is but little, yet very commodious and cheap.
There are only four rooms on a floor (you may have
closets within the wall), all of which have their
entry from the stayr (yet communication betwixt),
and the door is in the middle ; and there are ten
steps up to the first story (which is hall or dining-

3

THE SCOTS GARDENER

room, withdra wing-room, bed-chamber, and wait-
ing-room), and ten steps to the lower story, which
is half under ground and vaulted, this is the kitchen,
cellars, larders, &c. That above the dining-room
story may be bed-chambers, library, and with-
drawing-room ; and above these you may have gar-
rets for wardrops. The roof may be divided into
three, so as the middle part may be flat and covered
with lead, and the two sides more steep and slated.
There is also a stayr coming down from the hall to
the parterre of grass and gravel, on whose corners
are two pavilions, opening without the line of the
house, and set off in place of jammes ; one of which
may be a store-house, the other a dove-house : the
stables, baking and brewing-house are on the op-
posite side most conveniently situated.

Situate your house in a healthy soyl, near to a
fresh spring, defended from the impetuous west
winds, northern colds, and eastern blasts: andmind
regularity, viz., make all the buildings and plant-
ings ly so about the house, as that the house may
be the centre ; all the walks, trees, and hedges run-
ning to the house. Therefore, whatever you have
on the one hand, make as much, of the same forme
and in the same place, on the other. But if you

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

would go to work right, beginne orderly, that is,
find the central line, by erecting a perpendicular
on the middle of the house-front, to extend as f arr,
both back and fore, as requisite : hence you may
draw parallels, measure and stake out your aven-
ues, gardens, etc., as you please ; ever minding to
measure alike at both sides of the central line. How
to find this central line, and to set off parallels, is
taught elsewhere.

Yet for further illustration of this, take ane ex-
ample by a draught of my own inventing (fig. 2),
which, if rightly understood, may be applyed di-
versly and improven elegantly.

It is here a small scale. The house is in the centre,
and at B : round by the house are ballisters : the
common avenue is by N, and ends in a triangle.
C is the outer court ; and in the two triangular
courts marked with O, are placed the office-houses
most notably (with their back part to the court,
C), opening without the line of the house. So dis-
mounting at the gate of the court (through which
you may walk on foot to the house), let the horses
be taken to the stables by the way the ending of
the avenue leads. The two plots, P, may be pondes ;
the two with G, cherrie gardens ; a proper place

5

PLAN I. SITUATION OF THE HOUSE AND GAKDENS.

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

also for raising gooseberries, currants, and stra-
berries. On the south side of the house there is the
pleasure or flower garden, called the parterre ; at
the two sydes thereof, kitchen-gardens, marked
with K, then another walk ending in a semicircle,
8, leading out to the lawn or deer-park. The vistaes,
or walks of view, that run from the four angles
of the house, are very pleasant and convenient,
and are good shelter, for which cause there are two
thickets on the north side, marked T ; on the south
side are two such marked A, for nurseries ; and at
east and west are two orchards. The whole is en-
vironed with two rowes of f orrest trees without
the wall. And if the paper were large, I would show
you that the park- wall should be parallel to these,
that is, every where equi-distant from the house
as its centre at least, the whole an octagon near to
a regular polygon, consisting of equal sides and
angles. The walks with their fences (being run fore-
ward from all the four sides and four angles of the
house, till they touch at the middle of each side
of the park-wall) serve in the park for divisors,
which divisors may be hawthorn hedges, and these
in the gardens holly ; except the court in the entrie
and office-house courts, methinks walls are requi-

7

THE SCOTS GARDENER

site there. There should also be an ascent to the
house (if possible) ; as, at the first court-gate, two
steps : at the second, four steps, &c. But leaving it
to every man to apply as his ground and ability will
best admit, I come to speake of regularity, where
confined. But as work or to make regularity among
conferments requires ingenuity, so is tethered diffi-
culty in teaching the same because of the great
variety of places, which it is hardly possible to cor-
rect by precepts. Therefore, to what I have said
above of the centre and central line, I shall only add
one single instance.

In a confined situation of ground, I add what I
can, but diminish nothing : I take a survey of the
works, and when I find several regular and irregu-
lar things done on one side of the house, and no-
thing correspondent on the other, I mark out the
very same on the opposite side: and this I continue
to do, till two irregularities produce one uniformity.
Or, should an avenue lead obliquely to the house,
on account of a precipice on the west, I immediately
view the ground from the top of the house, and find
that, by turning my face towards the east, I shall
have stately avenues, with gardens on each hand,
at pleasure.

8

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE
CHAPTER II

HOW TO MAKE AVENUES AND WALKES

ALL walkes should front the gates or entries,
whether they lead to a house, garden, gate, door,
park, wood, or high- way. When you have deter-
mined on the end of your walk, as the door of the
house in the middle of the house-front, set off a
perpendicular to find the central line, as aforesaid,
and for your more exact performance, prepare the
following instrument, viz., take two straight rules
of three or four foot long ; joyn them crosswayes
one another, so that the four angles where they
cut maybe exact squares ; then at each side of these
joyn a straight piece of wood, standing up about
four or five inches ; and in the exact middle of each
of these pieces, make a slit or hole quite thro', and
in these put a piece of small silk threed ; place the
cross on the top of the three-footed staff, with a
plummet, whereby you may plant it horizontally
upon occasion : on this likeways place your pro-
tractor, with the box and needle, when you intend
to survey ground.

As to the avenue, set one side of your cross parallel
to the given line (the house-wall) ; this you may do
with great ease, by taking one end thereof within

9

THE SCOTS GARDENER

the door, till the side touch your cheeks, and you
may also view across by the side-wall, backsight
and foresight, till it stand exactly parallel thereto :
then turne, and standing within the door, view
straight out by the silk threeds, and so direct one
to drive stakes all along as f arr as you can see, in a
straight and perpendicular line. You may also find
this perpendicular central line, tho' walls, hedges,
houses, trees, &c., obstruct your view, if you can
see over them from any window, or off any battle-
ment, if there is any.

And as by this instrument you may raise any per-
pendicular, so by the same you may let a perpend
fall : for you may alter it hither and thither upon
the given line, till it direct to the angle or point
assigned.

The mid or central line of your avenue being
found out, you must place your cross thereon, and
thereby set off half the breadth of it at each side;
do this at both ends and middle, that they may be
exactly parallel ; and therein drive stakes almost
to the head. And when you come to marke out
for the trees, or to plant them, set a straight pole
at each driven stake for your direction in going
straight betwixt the same.

10

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

If the length of the walke be confin'd, divide it
by the distance you niynd to plant it ; and if there
be any odd, add or subtract till all the distances
be equal ; which distance you must take on a chain
(fora line will reach or shrink) and begin at one end,
and go straight to the other, thrusting in a small
stake at each length ; minding to let both rowes
go on squair together, that is, one on each side.

And though the ground be unevenly, yet you
must hold the chain level, wherefore you may have
a squair and plumb fixed at your pole or staff for
your more exact performance thereof.

When you have staked out the ground, prepare
the rounding-string, viz., a piece of line doubled,
and tyed near the point of a stick, and so put the
double on the stakes where the trees must stand ;
and stretching the same, make a scratch with the
point of the stick round, and, with a spade, follow
that compass, and make the hole.

If you observe what be said, you may stake out
any kind of walk, having found one line ; where-
fore I shall shew you how to find one line, what-
ever obstruct.

As first, suppose you would run a line or walk
through a wood; when you have concluded on the

11

THE SCOTS GARDENER

end thereof, there erect a perpendicular as above,
and run it as f arr into the wood as you can ; then
at each side thereof set off a parallel line, two or
three foot from the central line, or half the breadth
of the intended walk; so shall you have three
parallel lines running on in straight lines together.
And where any one runs on a tree, run f oreward
the other two, and set it off again (when past the
tree) as it was parallel to its f ellowes ; and so pro-
ceed till you be through the wood or thickets, still
marking the trees that fall in the inter vail to be cut.

A second way is by means of lanthornes with
burning candles, in a calm night, hanged on stakes :
you standing in the wood, may plant stakes at
pleasure; let the candles furthest from you be
highest, and remove f oreward the lights as need
requires.

But if both ends of your walk be determined, and
you cannot see betwixt, by reason of lengthes, hills,
woods, houses, or some such obstruction, in such a
case let two, having each a pole, go to the middle,
or to such a place betwixt, where they may (by
looking backsight and foresight) perceive the two
extreams, (where should be a pole with white
paper on the slip-boards to make them the better

12

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

appearance), turn your faces towards each other,
standing at a large distance asunder, but so as you
may both see your respective objects. And let A
direct B to set the pole in a line with his, and that
at the north-end ; and B direct A to hold in a line
with his, and that at the south-end; so each direct-
ing the other by words or signes; let both alter to
and fro, till they have their desires at once; then
shall these two, and the extreams, be all four in a
straight line, whereby you may set as many as you
please. This way I have I found out by experiment,
and think it worthy a place amongst the mathe-
maticks.

But if you cannot see the two ends, when stand-
ing in the middle, altho' the poles be never so high,
then, if it be wood or hedges, the foresaid Ian thornes
and candles will do the business.

But if the obstructions be hills, walls, or houses,
for which you cannot see, either by lanthornes or
high poles, tho' standing in the centre, then work
by parallels thus : set off a parallel line so far, as
that it may run quite beyond the obstruction, on
the side most convenient ; then set in the parallel
again at convenient places ; so shall both agree, as
will appear when the obstruction is removed.

13

THE SCOTS GARDENER

But if none of these will do, run a line over by
guess, but if it miss (as no wonder), take notice of
your error at the end, by letting a perpendicular
fall on the determined poynt (by means of the
squair or cross), and the measure betwixt discovers
the error : then measure the length of your in-
tended walk or line, and, at the J thereof, set off
the fourth of your error ; at the middle the £ ; at
the f of the length, set off the f of your error ; this
will lead you straight to your purpose.

Trigonometry will also solve this, if you could
work exactly; for here you have two sides and one
angle given you.

If you have a given line, and desires to set off a
parallel from it, but cannot measure off freely at
both ends, there being trees, waters, hills, walls or
houses, obstructing, you may measure, squair or
perpendicular off at any part of the given line (that
is most convenient), so far as you mind to go with
your parallel, at, or upon which point, erect another
perpendicular to run backsight and foresight, the
which shall be exactly parallel to the given line,
as was required.

Having given some directions for staking out
walks for planting, yet your avenues and walks

U

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

must end in some figure or another, whether tri-
angular, circular, oval, &c. For coaches and carts
to turn in, as also where walks meet, or cross one
another, it is requisite that there should be an ex-
ample laid down for that reason.

How avenues may end in semicircles and triangles.
— If an avenue ends in a semicircle, it may begin
with the same, or rather, if the ground will suffer, it
should begin with a whole circle, having four op-
posite opens the breadth of the walk. If it ends
with a triangle, it may begin so likeways; but
rather with a square, whose entries or opens must
be in its angles, and also where the walks meet or
cross one another. You ought to lay down a plan
of your avenue, but so as the trees in the whole
may be every way lineal, except in the segment of
a circle, where they deviate a little. The figures
should be at least three times the breadth of the
walk, but so as the ground will admit. Let not the
trees in the figure stand much above the distance
of those in the walk, but divide equally ; make the
breadth of the walk in proportion to its length. I
think an avenue a mile in length may be 40 ells
in breadth. Neither short, broad, nor long, narrow
walkes are handsome, except in case of walkes of

15

THE SCOTS GARDENER

shade, and also of avenues where the front of the
house, jammes, courts, or pavilions are to be ob-
served : for the breadth of the court should be at
least the whole length of the house-front ; and if
two jammes, the middle walke of the avenue may
be the breadth of the jammes ; or the mid-walk the
breadth of the whole front, and the side walks the
breadth of the pavilions, which are on the corners
of the court ; or divide the house-front in three,
making the middle walk the just breadth of both
the side ones : so shall they be every way lineall,
but do not mask a fine front or veyle a pleasant
prospect. The length of the avenue, it should run
so farr as (when we stand at the house) we may
lose sight of the farr end, if possible. When it runs
over a brae, then to the eye it appears infinitum,
and where that cannot be had, it doth very well
where the sight terminates in a grove or circle of
firrs.

The distance of trees is sometimes according to
the quality of the ground, or trees to be planted ;
sometimes to the number of rowes, or as the figure
to be planted will best admit. If a good soyl, plant
at the wider distance ; if 4 rows, as in an avenue,
plant at 5, 6, 7, or 8 ells distance ; if two single rows,

16

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

at 4, 5, or 6 ells ; if circular figures, or the like, at
2, 3, or 4 ells, or as the figure is small or great : and
plant so as they may shew the figure to this use
well.

Some trees require a wider distance than others ;
and of consequence these that grow greatest must
have the largest distance assigned them.

Note that you intermix not great trees and small
trees in planting, neither quick growers and slow
growers : for I observe a kind of emulation amongst
them.

CHAPTER III

HOW TO PLANT THICKETS AND ORCHARDS

As the ground where you plant must be inclosed,
so must the trees stand at some distance off the
fence : if it be a wall whereon are wall-trees, let
the standards be at least four of their own distances
from the same, that the sun may not be kept off
the wall by the height of the trees ; and if you design
fine walks round the wall, plant the row next to it
with dwarf -trees or some low hedge, and the trees
half a distance off such ; if the enclosure be a hedge,
observe the same rule. Also let the trees be parallel
to the enclosure : but every plot will not suffer to
be planted every way lineal, and stand parallel to

17 2

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

the enclosure too. Therefore it will be necessary,
first, to enquire a little, what figures they be that
may thus be planted ; secondly, how to plant such
as will not admit of this order ; and lastly, how to
plant these several wayes.

The figures that may be planted every way in
rows are many ; yet for brevity's sake I shall men-
tion but few, as oblong and geometrical squares,
see figs. .5, 6, 7, 8, 9; rhombus, see fig. 10; rhomboides,
see fig. 11 ; oxygon or equilateral triangle, see fig.
12 ; orthogon or right-angled triangle, see fig. 13 ;
ambligon or triangle with one and two acute tri-
angles, see fig. 14 ; a sort of trapezium, see fig. 15 ;
hexagon, see fig. 16 ; octagon, as the whole of fig.
2. These regular polygones are the nearest way
for planting a circle.

Many more figures there are, both regular and
irregular, that will admit of this order ; but these
may suffice for illustration. As for these that will
not, you may plant them parallel to as many sides
as you can, and let the rest fall as they will.

Now as to the several wayes, so farr as I know,
there are but three principal wayes of planting,
every way lineal, although there be more built
thereon, viz. squair, rhombus and triangle. In the

18

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

* * *

* * *

Fig. 7

« * * *

* * * *

• * • *

• * * *

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

Fig. 15 Fig. 16

Fig. 11 . . t
Fig. 12

Fig

• * *

Fig. 14

PLAN II. DESIGNS FOR PLANTING OUT.

THE SCOTS GARDENER

first, three of them make a right triangle, and four
of them describe a circle, see fig. 5. In the second,
three of them make a triacute triangle, and four of
them describe an ellipse, see fig. 6. But this way
will admit of variation. In the third, three of them
make an equilateral triangle, and four of them de-
scribe an oval, fig. 7, and seven of them make a cir-
cle with a centre, fig. 17.

The manner of planting the first, which is the
common way, is exemplified in fig. 5. Take the
length of one side, and divide by the distance you
intend to plant at, and the product tells how many ;
and the remainder, if there be any, you may pro-
portion as before. Then, with your determined dis-
tance on a chain, begin at a corner and go round
the outline exactly, thrusting in a stake at every
length, where the outer row must stand; these
keeping in a straight line, and at equal distances,
also straight-boyded and perpendicular. The way
is this : one must stand at west, and view to east ;
another at south, and view to north ; causing a third
set a stake in line with both : so, removing from
stake to stake (viewing still to the opposite), direct
the third bywords or signes till his stake be in aline
with both. Thus proceed, till all the plot be staked

20

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

out the way the trees should stand when planted,
as at fig. 5.

But if the ground be unequal, cause the stake-
setter hold up a long straight pole (with a plumb-
rule for holding it perpendicular), and when he re-
moves, thrust a stake exactly where the pole stood ;
but if the pole will not do, let the viewers mount
them on three-footed or standing ladders ; and if
that will not do, betake yourself to the rule, men-
tioned in the last chapter, for taking a line over a
hill, where both ends are confined, as I have done
in the like case.

But because some scarcely know signals, the
stake-setter must be told that, when the viewer
stands with his face northwards, and waves his
right hand eastwards, he must go a little eastward
with his pole ; and when he waves the left, then
westward ; when both his hands point at once east
or west, then he must hold the head of the pole so,
if he have no plumb for his direction ; but when the
viewer moves both hands, or hat, up and down, then
the stake-setter must fix there.

If you plant the second way in a squair, where
the out-line round is not at equal distances, tho' the
opposite sides are ; here, in this example, one side

21

THE SCOTS GARDENER

is about twelve and one half ells distance, and the
other fifteen, and the view being angular, and not
from opposite sides, makes the trees stand at about
ten and one half ells.

The Scots ell, according to several Acts of Parlia-
ment, is three foot one inch, or 37 inches long : six
ells long multiplied by 6 ells broad, is 36, a f all-squair :
10 falls in length and 4 in breadth, is 40, a rood-
squair : 40 falls in length and 4 in breadth, is 160 per
acre. See the table of superficial squair measure.
And those who desire long measure, six ells is a fall,
forty falls a furlong, eight furlongs a mile. See the
table.

A Table of Superficial A Table of Superficial

Squair Measure ac- Long Measure ac-

cording to Scotland. cording to Scotland,

Acres

Roods

160

40

Falls

5760

1440

Ells

Ells

6

Falls

240

40

Furl.

1920

320

8

Miles

But if you will plant rhombusoically, as is de-
signed, then 'tis done bytheequal division of its four
sides, and by viewing its opposites, as is represented

22

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE
by the rhombus A, B, C, D, in fig. 6; for tho' its
angles be not squair, nor equal, yet its sides must
be equal, and angles opposite. And here it may be
varied according to the shape of the ground, by
stretching longer, or opening wider ; A C is its
breadth, and D B its length. Or you may also plant
by the rhomboides, as I have done in D A F E, and
consequently many more figures may be planted
thereby, as well as these varyed or altered, and yet
the whole continue in this regular order.

In the third way, take an example in fig. 7, where
the length of one side must be divided by the deter-
mined distance, viz., the distance of the fence being
subtracted, the length of the side A B is 119, and I
designe to plant at eight and an half ells ; therefore
I divide 119, by 8, 5, decimally ; the product is 14
distances; then there will be 15 rows: here one side
is staked out, whereby you may plant the whole
plot thus ; take two distances on the chain, that is,
hold one end exactly at A and the other at C. Again,
with that measure on the chain, hold one end at the
first stake, A, and the other at the second, I ; cause
the third take the chain exactly by the middle, and
(holding it stiff) thrust in a straight stake at the
angle of the chain, N; so these three make an equi-

23

THE SCOTS GARDENER

lateral triangle : then remove, holding one end at
the second stake, I, and the other at the third, C ;
stretch the chain and thrust in a stake at its angle
or middle as before. Thus you may proceed from
stake to stake till that row be planted ; and so on
from row to row, till the whole plot be staked out.
Remember to set the stakes straight and perpen-
dicular, considering their thickness also; inall which
if you be not very exact, you cannot avoyd error,
before you come to the other side.

A fourth way of planting, is that which is ordin-
arly used in thickets, fig. 8, for when the trees grow
large, every other row (suppose the short ones)
may be taken out, that the rest may have freedom,
and so benefited by the sun and air ; thus one fruit-
tree at large will bear more than four crowded ones,
and yet continue in as good order ; and will answer,
in some measure, the expectations of those who
complain, while their orchards are young, of their
having few fruit, seeing the more trees they have,
the more fruit is to be expected : therefore, when
their branches begin to meet, they ought to remove
them, lop and plant them by their hedges, I mean
by the divisors of their corn-land, and the trees, be-
ing now full grown, and able to defend themselves.

24

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

This is also applicable to forrest-trees, seeing, while
they are young, they afford little shelter, except
they are more than ordinary thick ; and yet, when
they grow up, cannot prosper to that stately magni-
tude you would desire, unless the same care is used,
viz., the removal of each second row, which may
be effectually planted about the bordures of your
corn-land, meadow, and'pasture; which now needs
no fence, except a few thorns stuck about to keep
the cattle from rubbing. In orchards, if the short
rowes be cherries and plumes, they, not being long-
lived, will be past their best before the apples and
pears, which may be in the long rowes, require
their room from them.

The methode is this ; you must mark out the plot
round about, and view from angle to angle of each
geometrical squair : but then the distance of the
outer-row must be greater than in the first way ;
otherwise the trees will stand much nearer : as 7
is to 5, so is the distance of the trees through the
plot.

Or you may plant it by viewing from opposite
sides, as in my first way, only you must plant the
out-line of stakes round about, at half the former
distance, and let the stake-setter pass by every other

25

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

distance (except you intend to plant goosberries
and curran-standards in these blanks, and then the
trees and shrubs together stand as in the first way),
and now the proportion is, as 7 is to 10, so is the
distance of the outer-row round, to the distance of
the trees : or as 10 is to 7, so is the distance of the
trees to the distance of the outer-row round. Such
proportion doth the side and diagonal of a geo-
metrical squair bear the one to the other, and a-
bundantly exact for our purpose.

The fifth way is, and very notable, where orchard
and kitchen-garden are all one, or where you have
corn or grass among your trees ; or trees, whether
barren or fruitful, among your corn or grass, see
fig. 9.

If for a kitchen-garden, divide it in ridges, mak-
ing the tables or pathes in the middle of the widest
interval ; and then subdivide it so as the trees may
fall in the middle of the beds or bordures. If for
corn-land, the ridge must be between each row
plowed within four foot on each side the rows or
ranges of trees ; which eight-foot bordures must be
delved each spring ; or, if stiff clay at both equi-
noxes, and no vegetable suffered to grow thereon :
for a man, or two, with large and handsome hows,

26

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

10 inches broad, will quickly go through them in
summer, and cut the weeds at their first peeping :
this would certainly be a great improvement : and
whether you apply to corn or grass, fruit or forrest-
trees, I would advise you to keep them thus clean
of weeds, and if ever you repent it, blame me.

A sixth way of planting trees, is, to make all the
walkes or intervals open from the house propor-
tionally, so as, when you stand at the house, the
walkes may appear all of an equal breadth to the
eye ; this would suit well my contrivance of the
house, being like the sun sending forth his beams.

The distance of trees in thickets and orchards, is
either according to the quality of the ground, trees
to be planted, or methode of planting.

If a good and deep soil, there trees will live long,
grow to a great magnitude, and require a large dis-
tance. Apples planted the first, second, and third
way may be from eight to ten ells distance. Pears
so planted, at ten, or twelve ells : and of these planted
the fourth way, may be at the least distance men-
tioned ; because they will stand near the greatest,
when every second is removed : but if planted the
fifth way, they may be from sixteen to twenty ells
one way, and from eight to ten the other. Cherries

27

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

and plumes from five to seven ells, being planted
the first, second, third, or fourth way. As for the
distance of dwarfs and wall-trees, see the next
chapter.

At the same distance with pears, plant oak, elm,
ash, plane, beech, walnut, chesnut : with apples,
plant greens, service, limes, poplars. At the distance
of plum and cherrie, plantmaple, horn-beam, hassel,
birch, laburnum, aspen, alder, will owes, pine, firr,
yew.

If the ground be level, plant such trees as grow
lowest, at the south side, and still higher by degrees
towards the north, that the tallest and strongest
may be on the north side ; so shall the northern
blasts be guarded off, and the sun-beams the better
received in amongst them. If the ground be not
level, plant such as grow low on the highest ground,
and the contrary. And set alwayes the crooked or
leaning side towards the south-west, whence come
the strongest winds, whichin a fewyears will make
them the more erect ; for you may observe that all
trees that are not well sheltered from these westerly
winds, lean or decline towards the east.

When the ground is all marked out with stakes,
put on the rounding-string, and make the holes : I

28

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

use not to make them less than six foot diameter
for ordinary trees ; and you may suffer the outer-
row of stakes to stand till you plant the rest, that
you may view thereby.

CHAPTER IV

HOW TO MAKE THE KITCHEN-GARDEN

THE kitchen-garden is the best of all gardens. In
every garden it is ordinary, first, to make a bordure
at the wall ; secondly, a walke ; and thirdly, a bor-
dure on the other side of the walke : thus the walke,
with a bordure on each side of it, going round the
whole plot, parallel to the wall : but if your ground
be large enough, I bid you to make a larger distance
betwixt the walke and the wall. It is also ordinary
to divide the garden into four plots, by two walkes
crossing from side to side : but I am not for any
cross- walkes in gardens ; yet if you would have
more than one, which divides the whole into two
parts, make them all parallel through the plot, lead-
ing to the house, and equi-distant from the middle,
still making the gates, doors, or entries front the
walkes.

In your kitchen-plots, and in nurseries for trees,
plant no trees through the ground; for when they

29

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

grow up, they cover and choak the ground, so that
you will be necessitate to seek for another. There-
fore, make only three bordures next and parallel
to the walks around, on each hand ; plant the first,
or that next the walke, on both sides with a holly-
hedge ; the second with goosberries and currans,
and the third with dwarf -trees; keeping the ground
all open and void within for kitchen-herbs and
roots ; which must be orderly divided into ridges ;
and these again divided into beds, furrowes, and
drills, for your more orderly and convenient plant-
ing and sowing.

As for proportion^ note that your walkes extend
in breadth according to their length, viz. a thousand
foot long, thirty foot broad ; five hundred foot long,
twenty foot broad; two hundred and fifty in length,
fifteen in breadth ; and an hundred foot long, ten
foot broad.

Make the bordures six foot broad ; the tables or
pathes betwixt the level ridges, wherein the ground
is divided, three foot broad ; the beds, six foot broad,
with foot and half furrowes : you may make seven
of these beds in each ridge, and the whole length
of the plot all running from the house : but if your
ground be small, you may make your bordures and

30

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

beds narrower ; yet still let the whole plot, ridges,
bordures and beds, be equally divided, and their
areas or edges three inches higher than the fur-
rowes or pathes, and so much higher than the side
of the walkes as the middle of the walk is higher
than its sides ; all handsomely clapt up with the
rake-head, by a line : and the like order you may
observe in your seminaries and nurseries of trees;
then plant and sow by lines and drills, both for
beauty and conveniency.

When you set about this, divide the bed, bordure,
or ridge, at both ends, into so many equal parts (by
the help of the long rule and small sticks) ; then
stretch the line from end to end by these sticks, and
with the corner of the rule make a marke by the
line, and therein set your herbs and plants ; and for
setting of seeds, measure out, and stretch on the line
as before, and with the setting-stick make the holes
by the line (not too deep) and therein put the seeds.
And if you sow in drills, make a scratch, or little
ebb gutter, with the point of the stick by the line,
and therein sow. If the rowes be two foot distance,
let the first be one foot within the edge ; if six inches
asunder, make them three inches off the edge, and
so proportionally. Note that I have told the dis-

31

THE SCOTS GARDENER

tancesof each sort of kitchen-herbs and fruits, Part
II., Chap. VI., where is intended six foot broad
beds ; but where they are less, there must be fewer
rows.

The kitchen-garden may be placed nearest the
stables, for the conveniency of wheeling in manure,
and out of sight of the front of the house : because
of the impropriety of the view, to see manure in
that garden where the eyes of the persons in the
house should be more agreeably entertained, by
lawns, avenues, vistas, and other more agreeable
prospects than which is necessary in kitchen-gar-
dens : and when you plant or sow, place every
species by themsel ves,except such mixture as is men-
tioned, Part II., Chaps. I. and III., and where you
have not a whole ridge, or at least a bed of a kind,
you may compleat them with such as are nearest
of growth and continuance : also plant such as are
of long duration, and such as must be yearly re-
newed, severally, each in ridges or beds by them-
selves ; the order is to make every sort opposite
itself. For example, plant perennials, such as arti-
choaks, &c., by themselves, that they may not
interfere with that ground which is to be wrought
up annually for the annual productions of this

32

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

garden, such as onions, carrots, turnips, leeks, par-
snips, &c. Perennials are such plants as continue
many years in the ground ; annuals are such as
usually die immediately after they once bear seed,
and that is usually, tho' not universally, the first
or second year.

As for physical-plots, you may have them in that
ridge of the kitchen-garden next the bordures : and
if you incline to have no other pleasure-garden,
you may have flowers there, and on the bordures
next the walks also : another ridge or interval be-
twixt the walk and wall will be excellent for all
early, rare, and tender plants. You may rill your
physic-herbs in tribes and kindreds, planting every
tribe by themselves, and you may also place one of
each kind in alphabetical order.

As for walls, bricks are best ; next to these, stone
and lime ; four ells is low enough, five or six if you
please. Make your walls of south aspect in straight
lines, but not in semicircles, which is by some er-
roneously practised ; for there the wind being pent
up occasions squirles, and retards the ripening of
the fruits there planted ; nor should there be any
hot-beds nearer the wall than twentyfeet,excepting
cucumbers in the ground for picklers. The distance

33 3

THE SCOTS GARDENER

of wall-trees will inform you what quantity to
make them ; as for example, fifteen foot is the
distance of cherries and plumes, (except such as the
May-cherrie, which, being dwarfish, requires less),
eighteen foot for apricocks and peaches, twenty foot
for apples, twenty-four for pears ; therefore, if you
make the semi-circumference eighteen foot for
apricocks and peaches, (you may plant two dwarf
cherries therein) ; let the plain if straight wall be-
twixt each semicircle be just one tree distant like-
wayes.

Also in straight walls divide equally, and plant
none in the corners : measure first off six foot on
each side the gates or doors, for honisuckles, jas-
mines, &c. And whatever be the distance of your
trees, set them half therefrom, as also from the cor-
ners ; except where youmake all their headsply one
way : if on a low wall such may stand three foot
from the corners, or the honisuckles they lean from,
and a whole distance from these they lean towards.
You may plant a goosberrie and curran in the in-
tervals of your wall-trees, while young, and when
the trees approach, remove them. Let the roots of
your wall-trees stand near a foot from the wall,
with their heads inclining towards it. Wall-trees

34

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

in orchards (whose standards are in the quincunx)
should stand opposite to the middle interval of the
standards.

The distance of dwarf -standards is sixteen foot,
where there is but one row ; and in following this
rule of the three bordures, they will stand just six-
teen foot off the hedge, observing to plant in the
middle of the bordures. The distance of goos-
berries and currans may be six foot. But in all your
plantings and sowings divide the ground so as each
kind may stand and grow equally.

To conclude, these three bordures surrounding
each side of the walkes, handsomely made up and
planted as aforesaid, will secure the ground within
from hurtful winds and colds, and make people
keep the walkes ; doors handsomely paled being on
the entries to the hedges, so as they may neither
hurt you nor themselves. Also the hedges, dwarf-
standards, shrubs, and wall-trees being well prun'd
and plyed, with the bordures and walkes kept clean
and orderly, will make it look like a garden of plea-
sure, and hide all the ruggedness that happeneth
in kitchen ground by delving, manuring, turning
and overturning throughout the year.

35

THE SCOTS GARDENER

CHAPTER V

HOW TO MAKE THE PLEASURE-GARDEN

PLEASURE-GARDENSusethto be divided into walkes
and plots, with a bordure round each plot ; and at
the corner of each, may be a holly, or some such
shrub, train'd up, some pyramidal, others spheri-
cal ; the trees and shrubs at the wall well plyed and
prun'd, the greens thereon cut in several figures,
the walkes layed with gravel, and the plots within
the grass (in several places whereof may be flower-
pots), the bordures boxed, and planted with variety
of fine flowers orderly intermixt, weeded, mow'd,
rolled, and kept all clean and handsome.

Plain draughts are only in use, and most prefer-
able : that which I esteem most is, plain straight
bordures and pathes running all one way, that is,
from the house, with one walke parting it in the
middle, leading to the house-door : and if the ground
be large, you may make one round by the wall too.
Let the bordures and pathes be both of a breadth,
viz., six foot ; box the bordures, plant them with
flowers ; lay the pathes, as well as the walkes, with
gravel ; plant the walls with fruit and flower-bear-
ing trees variously.

Outer-courts have only one bordure at the wall,
36

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

planted with laurels and other greens ; one pathed
or brick- walke in the middle, leading to the middle
of the house-front, with a long grass-plot on each
hand.

The bordures of your kitchen-garden, round by
the walkes, may be boxed with thyme, lavender,
hysop, rue, &c., the next with parsley, straw-berries,
violets, July-flowers, &c., cherrie-gardens and phy-
sick-gardens, with sweet-brier often cut, or box cut
three times per annum, in April, June and August,
remembering to cut their roots at the inside every
second year, that they exhaust not the strength or
nourishment of the flowers or herbs. But that which
I preferre for flower-gardens above all, is dwarf-
juniper, raised from seed and planted thus : when
the ground is levelled, measure out the bordures
(but raise them not above the walkes, except you
minde to lay gravel), stretch a line, and, with the
edge of the rule, mark along thereby, and therein
set the young slips of box, or the young plants of
juniper, attwo years' growth ; then prepare the bor-
dures, by delving in consumed manure of cows and
sheep, covering on a little lime, topt with a little sand
to lye all summer, kept clean from weeds by hawing.
At the beginning of winter delve and mix together,

37

THE SCOTS GARDENER

to lye all winter un-raked, and at the spring re-delve,
stirr and mix it thoroughly, and trim and plant
your flowers and other plants in their seasons. See
Part IL, Chap. VII.

In making the walkes in any gar den, first level up
the bordures at its sides : secondly, drive a row of
stakes in the middle of the walke, and level them
accordingly, i.e. stretch a line across the walke be-
twixt the two level bordures, and marke where it
hits the stake in the middle of the walke ; do this
at both ends, and by viewing betwixt, you will level
the rest ; see the next chapter of levelling. But
you may minde, that the walke must rise a little
in the middle, and yet the middle of the walke and
top of the boxing of the bordure must be level, i.e.
the boxings so much above the side of the walke,
as the middle of the walke is above its sides. Where
your boxing is timber or stone, fill up the bordure
of earth to the top thereof ; but where your boxing
is of box, juniper, or the like, the earth within the
bordure, and edge of the walkes and pathes with-
out, must be equal.

As for the rise or swell the walkes have, which
makes them the segment of a circle, grass, or brick-
walkes may have, for thirty foot broad, six inches

38

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

of swell ; for twenty foot, four inches ; ten foot, two
inches ; and let gravel have an inch more propor-
tionally; agreeable to the rule of proportion in
arithmetick, as twenty is to four, so is thirty to six.
If gravel or brick- walkes or pathes lye by the side
of grass, make the grass an half inche higher than
such. If the walke be grass, make two foot tables,
or pathes of gravel, betwixt it and the bordure.

To lay grass, first level the ground, whether a
walke or plot; and 'tis the better to lye a year so
made up, before you lay the turf ; because it may
be levelled up again, if it sink into holes : if it lye
wet, bottom with stones and rubbish ; and, if the
earth be fat, take it out, and put in sand: however,
lay the sand a foot thick immediately under the
turf; then by the squair, stretch lines, ritt with the
ritting-iron (which is an half round put into the end
of a crooked stick) and raise the turf with the turf-
spade (which is broad mouthed, otherwise all one
with the husbandman's breast-turfing-spade) ; let
the turf be of equal thickness, near inch and half
thick, a foot and half broad, and as much in length ;
lay their green sides together when you put them
in the cart, but do not roll them when brought home:
lay them all even and close, feeling each particular

39

THE SCOTS GARDENER

turf with your foot, so as you may discern any in-
equality, to be helped immediately; in laying, still
beat every two or three rows of turf, while moist,
with the wooden-beater, and when the whole is laid,
and well beat, roll it well with the stone roller, which
should be as big as a hogshead. The spring and
autumn is the best time. And if you mind to keep
a good pile of grass, suffer it never to grow inch
long; beat, mow, and roll it often, especially in the
mornings and moist weather.

But if you would lay the hard tile or brick- walkes,
prepare as for grass, minding it wants the breadth
of the brick of the true height ; for you must set
them all on their edge, close by one another on a
bed of lime, laying the side of every second row
crossing the ends of the other, and place one in the
middle of the walkes, that both sides maybe regular.

To lay gravel, cleanse first the bottomes of the
walkes of fat earth, and root- weeds, and bottom it
with stones ; and lay over that about half a foot of
clean round gravel, and about three inches top-
gravel of equal greatness, which may be like beans
and pease ; you must make it thus equal by sift-
ing, and so rake, tred and beat ; and when com-
pleately levelled, beat it well with wooden-beaters,

40

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

while moist ; then roll soundly with the wooden-
roller, and afterwards with the stone-roller, especi-
ally in rain, for which the spring and autumn is
best : but if in dry weather, you must dash water
on the roller (continually in rolling) with the
watering-pot, and if you are forced to use sea or
water-sand, you may beat some good clay to dust
and mix with it before you lay it ; weed, and roll
frequently.

For the orderly planting of flowers there maybe
three wayes ; as first, in bordures of pleasure-gar-
dens or courts, plant five rowes in the bordure, and
intermix them orderly, i.e. divide and plant every
sundry sort, through the whole garden, at equal
distances, and not only so, but of every sundry
colour thereof also : let never two of a kind, nor
two of a colour, stand together, without other
kinds and colours interveening, so there may not
be two or three of a kind or colour at one end,
bordure, plot, or place, and none of them through
the rest, but universally and ornamentally inter-
mixt : and when you find a breach by some being
past the flower, you may have various annual flow-
ers sowen in pots, ready to plunge into the vacan-
cies of the bordures for continuing this beauty.

41

THE SCOTS GARDENER

Secondly, in my sort of flower-gardens, which has
borduresand pathes running all one way, viz., from
the house, plant five rows, and intermix them, not
as in the last way, but set five rowes of each kind
cross thebordure,so as twenty five of each sort may
standina geometrical squair ; for instance, a squair
of tulips, a squair of boars-ears, a squair of crocuses,
a squair of July-flowers, a squair of anemonies,and
a squair of cowslips ; and so a squair of tulips, an-
other of boars-ears, &c., again intermixing through
the whole of that bordure the colours of each sort :
then may you make the next bordure so intermixt,
but differing ; minding, that as you intermix the
bulbous and fibrous plants in each bordure, so must
they be also in the crossing, that the squair of fibrous
in this way, oppose the squair of bulbous in the
next ; and likewayes whatever bordure such sorts
areinon the one side of the walke,set the very same
in the bordure equi-distant from the walke on the
other side, that the whole may be regular and uni-
formly intermixt all the year, looking from all sides,
ends or angles.

Thirdly, in nurseries of beds and ridges, plant
every kind in thickets by themselves, and annuals
and perennials by themselves, (except only that

42

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

you intermix their coloures), that is, make a whole
bed or ridge of each kind, six rowes in the bed ; the
dwarfish maybe eight rowes : thus every thicket of
them flowering in their own order will have a great
show, and at a great distance. Here also observe
uniformity, that is, alike on each hand, for if you
have a ridge or bed of July-flowers, or the like, on
the one side, plant another thereof at the same place
on the other, &c.

And because flowers must be removed, some in
one, two, or three years, and the earth renewed or
enriched, and properly prepared, else they degen-
erate (because in a length of time they exhaust the
substance of the ground, at least that part appro-
priate to them), therefore you have a good conven-
iency for effectuating the same by these last two
models prescribed; for then you will have some beds
or squairs where your annuals stood, into which you
may re-plant your tulips, anemonies, or the like un-
to ; and so another sort where these stood, and your
annuals again where these last were : and because
here you remove a whole bed or squair of a kind
at once, you may very conveniently prepare, delve,
stir, beat, sift, and mix it thoroughly with the proper
soyl, a thing most necessary; and this you could not

43

THE SCOTS GARDENER

well do, where they are scattered as in the first way.
See the rules mentioned in Part II., Chap. I. and
Chap. VII.

As to terrase-walkes, if the brow on which you
make them be not too steep, the work will be the
more facile : if you build them up with walls, be
careful to sound deep enough according to the level;
and if the middle of the terrase be on the central
line of the house, or of any walke, make the stayr
of the upmost and downmost there to part at a plat
on the head, going down at both sides ; so much of
the stayr-case maybe within, as that the outer-edge
thereof may be in a line with the bordure at the
wall ; by this it marrs not the walke ; the rest may
be at the ends : plant the borders at the upper-side
of the walke with wall- trees, the under- side (being
but an ell high) with laurels, &c. But if your ter-
rase consists only of walkes and sloping-banks, you
may have the bordure at the head and foot of each
bank, on either side the walkes, planted with stan-
dard-cherries, &c., and the banks of violets, straw-
berries, or grass.

As for pondes, make them large and broad, such
being best both for the health of fish and f owll ;
squair, triangle, circle, oval, or what figure fits your

44

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

ground best ; let them be five or six foot of solid
water at least, with sluces to let it run in and out
at pleasure ; keep them clean; for such water is the
more preferable for watering plants.

I am against arbust and close-walkes, except trees
naturally closing, whereby we have both shade and
air.

CHAPTER VI

HOW TO LEVEL GROUND

I HAVE often wished that there might be some rules
found, whereby this expensive work might become
more easy. There are two sorts of levelling, viz. the
horizontal and sloping : the first is best known, but
the last more profitable and convenient. For ex-
ample, I have made a plot slop four foot by two
hundred long, and eighteen inches by three hundred
and eighty foot the other way : this was not per-
spicuous to vulgar eyes ; yet to have made it hori-
zontal would have been ridiculous, as to time,paines,
and expenses. And in levelling the walkes about a
plot (which sloped naturally) so as to make them
correspond with the ground around, I behoved to
make the middle walke agree with the side ones,
whereupon it slops ten foot in three hundred and
seventy long : now if I had made this horizontal,

45

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

it would have been five foot, or ten steps lower than
the one side walke, and as much higher than the
other, and so worse and more inconvenient than
before, both as a walke, and anent correspondency
with the rest of the ground within : therefore I am
for levelling any ground in a sloping manner, that
it may turn a little to the sun, if possible, for drain-
ing water, and that it may correspond with its ad-
juncts, and above all, in order to prevent the more
costly way ; for 'tis certainly a principal observa-
tion in levelling, not only to cause the ground of
itself serve itself, but also to level it as it lyes most
conveniently, which is the cheap and easie way of
levelling. When you have a row of stakes set in a
straight line, and at about twenty foot distance, as
in the edge of a bordure or middle of a walke, the
way of levelling, rather horizontally or sloping, is
to mark and put a nail in the two stakes which are
at the extreams or ends thereof, and to view be-
twixt : cause marke all the rest which are betwixt
in a level line therewith. This is the easiest, the ex-
actest and quickest way : and, by the same methode,
you may go round any plot, and consequently cross
it every way according to this direction.

If what you would have horizontal, place the long
46

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

rule and the level at one end, suppose the sole of
the door, till the plumb fall right in recovering, and
view alongst the said rule, (as on a fowling piece)
that you may see what part of each stake it hits,
and cause one, with a piece of white paper, or white
hafted knife, hold the same at each stake its haft
tending out, as the nails which bear up the line,
and direct him by words or signes to hold up or
down till it be just level; when they are all marked,
measure down so much on each stake as was raised
up for conveniency in viewing ; there marke, put
in nailes a little, stretch on the line, and level up
the earth or gravel thereunto.

And where you would have determin'd slops, set
on the level, and make the far-end stake in a level
line therewith ; then measure down upon the said
stake or pole, from the place marked, so much as
you designe to slop, and put in a naile with white
paper about it ; and at the upper-side of the rule
in the stake at the door, put in another nail, and
by viewing betwixt these two, mark all the rest as
before. If the distance between the extreams be
f arr, so as the sight may dazzle, let the viewer de-
scend from his station, and come forward at every
five or six stakes ; and holding his knife at the last

47

THE SCOTS GARDENER

marked stake, cause his assistant or stake-marker
proceed.

To level as the ground lyes, let its slop be what
it will, you need neither level or rule, (except you
please to try how much it slops, after it is done, for
satisfaction) ; only set stakes as before, and viewing
the ground narrowly, put nails in the stakes, which
are at the extreams, where you think the ground
will run when levelled, to make it serve it self, and
as it lyes best or easiest for levelling ; and when
you have concluded upon the level at the extreams,
mark all the stakes in the interval, by viewing as
above.

But to proportion the level to the ground, is the
whole art of levelling. 'Tis true it is easy, if you
have a plot or walke a foot higher at one end, to
take half a foot thereof, and lay on the low end, so
as the two ends may be horizontal ; or, if it be hori-
zontal, to take nine inches off the one end, and lay
on the other, that it may slop eighteen inches; but
if some places of it lye one way, and some another,
and some neither the one nor the other, this in-
creaseth the difficulty. Wherefore you must first
drive stakes at the corners of the plot ; then view
the ground about and put nailesin the stakes where

48

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

you would have the level run, or at least where you
think by your eye it fall most conveniently, to make
it contain it self, and the more easy to be levelled:
also set up several stakes in the intervals and cross-
wayes through the plot from opposite angles, and
by viewing betwixt the f oresaid nails every way,
marke all the stakes level ; but if you cannot see
themarkesof this supposed level which are on these
corner stakes, seeing there may be some below the
ground, little hills, or some such obstructions lying
in the way, then measure equally upon each of them,
so f arr as you think convenient for getting your
sight, and mind to take down the same again after
viewing.

When all is marked with this supposed level, go
over it, and note narrowly how it will agree, and
so, as your reason shall teach you to alter, you may
take up one end or let down the other, or both, till
you bring it to such a proportion, as to do its own
business it self. Or you may work more exactly
thus :

Suppose youhaveabordure,or middle of awalke,
with sixteen stakes driven therein at twenty foot
distance, all marked with a supposed level, and
ten of these markes above ground, and six under

49 4

THE SCOTS GARDENER

ground : First, measure how f arr the markes on
each of the ten stakes are above ground, and write
them down particularly; and adding their mea-
sures together, you find thirteen foot four inches.
Secondly, measure how f arr the markes of the six
stakes are under ground, write down, adding them
together, and you find it twelve foot ; subtract the
one from the other and the difference is sixteen
inches, which must be divided by sixteen stakes in
the bordure, that is, one inch to each stake; so that
this supposed level is an inch higher over all than
the true level, which being taken down, will make
the ground there level it self, and no more. This
may suffice for an example, but I could say more,
if I did see your ground. And if you can thus pro-
portion the level to one bordure, walke, or one row
of stakes, you may, by the same rule, find the level
for the stakes round and across the plot, and conse-
quently level the same accordingly : for having once
concluded on the level, drive stakes over all the plot
as in my first way of planting trees, and marke and
put nailes therein, as above is taught for carrying
the line. Except you mean to follow my method
of levelling the kitchen-garden, or the same for
planting or sowing, which is only to level one bor-

50

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

dure thus by stakes and lines. Round each plot,
and by the eye, level up the ground within corre-
spondent thereto, all along in trenching: albeit
this is not so proper for courts and grass-plots, yet,
as by this means I use to level ground without a
level, so do I think this way of finding out the true
level, by means of a supposed one, worthy your
notice, and if rightly improved, will save you much
money and paines.

Be cautious in founding your walls, lest you un-
dermine them in levelling: nor is it convenient
sometimes to confine your level to the foundation
of walls already built ; for in so doing, you may lose
more than it would cost you to cast down and re-
build; but in such cases, you may rather build under
gradually.

There are some bad lying plots and walkes, with
an ascent at the head, hollow in the middle, and
level at the foot; these and the like are very trouble-
some to level under one denomination; for the tak-
ing down the hill, bares it so, that plants cannot
prosper thereon. Some are necessitate to take out
the gravel, tile, or stones, so much deeper, and tra veil
earth again ; but I rather advise to make terrases :
you need not confine yourself to the number of

51

THE SCOTS GARDENER

banks, but only to the proportion and uniformity.
If it tend all one way, high at one end, and low at
the other, then it is proper enough for perpendicular
walkes that front the house ; but if low in the middle,
and high at both ends, or low at both ends and
high in the middle, then more proper for parallel
walkes (whose extremities are equi-distant from
the central line of the house) : remember to divide
and slop these equally.

This minds me of some abuses which I have seen,
as a plot of sloping levelled ground, with another
horizontally levelled lying at the foot thereof, (at
least not under one slop) ; or horizontal walkes and
bordureslyingby the foot and head of sloping plots ;
these are unseemly ; for you should always make
them slop under the same denomination, except
in steep and high banks : I have made walkes of
eighteen foot broad slop eighteen inches from one
side to the other, because the whole plot sloped the
same way, so much proportionally ; yet to the eye
it appeared very pleasant. But where such hori-
zontal and sloping pieces lye contiguous, the defect
is easily seen ; therefore if you be necessitate to
lay some plots so, (albeit I know no reason for
laying walkes so), make rather a hedge to inter-

52

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

cept; and in all your works let there be a con-
nexion.

There are some more obstructions in levelling, as
in a long walke, when you have the two ends found
and marked, either with a supposed or true level,
and cannot see betwixt, so as to do it exactly by
reason of length : here two may go to the middle,
or near it, where you may conveniently see both
ends, looking at a distance backward and forward;
there drive in two stakes near to the length of the
long straight rule, at which hold on the rule, and
let one view alongst the same, till the marke at the
west-end be level therewith, and likewise the other
towards the east, so that both may alter up or down
till they have their desires at once. Then fix the
rule, and having as many stakes set as is needful,
you may view backsight and foresight thereon, and
level them all exactly.

But if a wall, a house, &c., intercept, measure per-
pendicular, and exactly up to the top thereof, and
on the other side measure down the same again ;
and so set forward the level, but so as it may com-
municate with the rest when obstructions are re-
moved.

But if a hill, go to the top, set a true level, and
53

THE SCOTS GARDENER

laying ane eye thereto, cause one with a long pole
go down, till its top be level therewith, (he holding
it level by a plumb-rule), then descend from your
stations, and set the upper end of the rule where
the pole stood, there level it, and do as before ; thus
from station to station, to the foot of the hill, (if it
be so great), keeping accompt in a note-book what
poles and parts it contains, which may be as easily
taken down on the other side by the same method.

But if it be possible to see over the obstruction
on three footed standing ladders, by help of long
poles or pikes, as I have done in the like case, raise
your level thereon, and having viewed and marked
that on the other side, measure down the same
there, &c.

In levelling any ground, for kitchen-ground, or-
chards, or nurseries, take not away its good earth
or surface, as you bring down the heights, but al-
wayes turn over the upper part thereof behind you,
carrying away that which is below, so much deeper,
that it may contain that surface, and put the bad
earth in the bottom of the hollowes, with better
mould above it.

In the practice of levelling, or other works, con-
trive the working so, as there may be still a motion

54

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

amongst all the partes : and albeit carts are cheaper
for levelling than wheel-barrowes,if the way of car-
riage be not very short ; yet if you do not set as
many men to fill the carts, as may have the one full
against the other come in, and no more, you lose
considerably; arid this will be according to the dis-
tance of the carriage, or as the earth is capable of
being wrought : and so with wheel-barrows ; three
barrows for two wheelers and one filler sometimes
doth well; sometimes more fillers or fewer wheelers ;
yet still let them have a spare-barrow; and if this
could be done with carts also, it would be of great ad-
vantage. Wherefore, in my opinion, there is no way
so expeditious to worke this effect, as the carts with
three wheels, whereby two men with two of these
carts, and one horse, can do as much as three men,
two horses, and two carts ; for one man to fill the
spare cart, the other man to drive the one horse ;
and when he comes in, he has nothing to do, but
take the traces and hooks of the empty cart, and
puts upon the rings of the full one, and so drive on.
This cart has no trams or limbers, but a swingle-
tree or breast-board before, where the rings that
keep the traces are: it has a handsome folding body ;
the third wheell is about thirty inches in diameter,

55

THE SCOTS GARDENER

all of iron, and runs in a shiers of the same, fastened
perpendicularly under the middle of the fore-breast,
with a turning pin of iron : the other two wheels
are common, but if they have an iron axis, the better.
To bring in water in pipes to your houses, courts,
gardens, pondes, parks, &c. consider on the level ;
for as the place into which you convey it must
alwayes be lower than the fountain from whence
it comes, otherwise it cannot flow thither ; so you
must take notice, that no hill in the way of its con-
veyance be so high as the fountain it self. You may
find the level by placing your instrument at the
well or fountain, as is directed in walkes ; and if a
hill intercept that sight, plant on the top thereof,
that by backsight and foresight you may find the
difference, and hence you may know whether you
can carry it about the obstruction ; but if the dis-
tance be far, you must needs be the more exact. As
for the instrument, the cross described in Chap. II.
whose sights may be two prospect glasses, may do
well enough, whether for one or many stations. Let
one stand at the spring-head, another betwixt and
the place to which you desire to carry the water,
a large distance asunder ; but so as a third man
about the middle may see both their marke-boards,

56

TREATING OF CONTRIVANCE

that is, on their pike-staves, and direct them to hold
level by his back and foresight, desiring them to
keep accompt what feet and parts ; and so come
f oreward till the assistant at the well plant where
the foremost stood ; and thus proceed quite in a
straight line, from station to station so long as
needful. At length, add all the measures of back-
stations together, and also those of the fore-sta-
tions ; subtract the one from the other, and the
remainder of levels betwixt the fountain and the
appointed place.

Allow for the fall of the water, for every thousand
foot in length, twelve inches of slop at least.

I confess, I need to apologize for these and the
like digressions, but the earnest desire of severals
forced me.

THE SECOND PART
OF THE SCOTS GARD'NER

TREATING OF

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS
CHAPTER I

OF THE SEVERAL WAYES OP PROPAGATION
I AM not to describe the varieties in the tribes and
kindreds of plants (seeing I am not now writing a
herbal), but only what is most material to their
propagation and improvement. Wherefore I shall
shew:

First, in general, the several wayes of propaga-
tion ; and then particularly some of the most use-
full.

The several wayes of increasing them ; and these
are:

First by seeds, kyes, kirnells, nuts, stones.

Secondly by off-sets, suckers, and slivings taken
from the mother-plant.

Thirdly by cuttings, stems, and slips, set without
roots.

Fourthly by laying the branch of a growing plant
down into the earth.

Fifthly by carrying up soil to it, where it will not
bend down.

Sixthly by various wayes of graftings.

Lastly by several wayes of inoculation.

The business of this chapter is, to shew the man-
ner and time of performing each of these wayes.

61

THE SCOTS GARDENER

And first by seeds : chuse them from the fairest
plants, full ripe, the day fair, and plants dry. Lay
them in the sun and open air a little, some for rub-
bing out, others for winning in their husks : and, as
you should not sow fruits, kernels, nuts or stones,
with their fleshy part on, but eat, or rub it off by
rolling in sand, and then dry them a little ; so neither
wash, weet, nor steep them ; neither keep any longer
after they are ripe. Most part of them will keep
till spring, but then many will lye till the next,
especially stony seeds, berries, and kernells. I do
not mean ash, holly, yew, mezerion, hawthorn, &c.
which naturally lye a year longer, albeit sowen im-
mediately when gathered ; yet even some of these,
namely the holly, will lye sometimes a year longer
than their usuall time, if the fleshy part be not
rubbed off.

I might say something of the timely interring of
tulips and others, but I come to the manner of sow-
ing : which is, to cover seed with the mould : of this
there are several models, according to the nature
of the seed, soil, season or fancy, either to sow the
ground and turne the seed in under the furrow or
by drawing trenches in the soil, and then drawing
the earth over them with a haw ; or sowing the bed,

62

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

ready drest, and hacking in the seed with the same
instrument ; or by harrowing, raking with a rake,
or drawing bushes over the sowed ground to cover
the seed ; or to put off the surface of the whole bed
with the rake-head, and sow thereon ; then draw on
the mould again with the same ; and having cast up
the furrows with a shovel, smooth the bed with the
rake ; or make drills by lines in made-up beds, sow
and cover the same with the rake-head, not dis-
ordering the ranks ; or to set the single seeds with
sticks by lines, or to sow the bed, and then to sift
fine mould thereon, &c.

Sow the strong and hardy deeper than the small
and tender, and sow ebber at spring than before
winter, and deeper in a light than a stiff soil.

Albeit I use for the most part to plant and sow
every species by themselves, yet you may sometimes
use mixtures, as carrots and radish in one bed ; be-
cause the radish may be gone ere the carrots require
much room. Amongst new-set liquorish you may
sow onyons, radish, lettice, parsley, carrots and
par sneeps together, gathering each in their seasons ;
the parsneeps will stay till winter ; and drop beat-
rave or parsley in your onyon beds, to stay winter,
after onyons are gone ; also beat-rave, skirrets,and

63

THE SCOTS GARDENER

beans at a considerable distance in the intervals of
newly planted artichocks ; also at a great distance
among cabbages, or in the edge of the furrows of
other beds.

The most natural time for sowing is, when the
seeds, of their own accord, fall to the ground; never-
theless, tho' many do well at this season, as stony-
seeds, and such as can endure winter, yet the tender,
which are many with us, do best in spring ; but for
convenience, we sow at several other seasons, as in
summer, at which time they require watering and
shade ; and in autumn, which is the only season for
some, which, if tender, require defence and shelter ;
nor can we have others early at spring without hot-
beds, which is required especially by such as come
not to perfection in our short summer.

Endeavour to sow when the soil is in good tem-
per : a hot furrow is good, but some grounds will
not harrow or rake when delv'd or plow'd, which,
when exposed some time to air, frost, sun and
showers, doth crumble and fall tender ; hence ought
such to be prepared by fallowing ; see more par-
ticularly the manner and season for each sort in
their respective chapters following.

Suckers are those which grow, run, spring off or
64

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

about the mother-plant, whereof are made off-sets,
by severing or parting them therefrom.

Take off these on trees and shrubs, with a violent,
but cleanly pull ; be careful of bulbous roots and
anemonies, that you wound not the mother-
plant.

To force as are unapt to put forth suckers natur-
ally, you may bair the root of those of a woody
substance ; cut it into the pith, slit it down a little,
and put in a stick to keep the gap open ; level in
the earth again, so shall the slip raised spring, and
so much the better, if there was an eye immedi-
ately belowthe cut. When the fibres are grown, cut
off this plant to live by it self.

Another way is to cut the root through, a little
distance from the tree, with a cleanly slop down-
wards, and raise up the butt-end of the root so cut
off, till it be a little above the surface ; as for root-
graffing, hereafter to be described, level in and
tread the earth again, so shall the piece left at the
tree send forth young roots, and the root so cut and
raised send out a top.

Rich free earth for bulbs and other roots, will
assist them to put forth suckers.

Cutting the tops of fibrous-rooted herbs, in grow-
65 5

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

ing-time, before they flower, will help them to off-
set, and to last long too.

The season for severing off-sets of hardie-trees
that lose the leaf, is the latter end of October,
and beginning of November; albeit, you may have
them also any time till March, if the weather is
open.

For young tender trees, with hardie greens, let
the winter frost be over, and before the sap rise.
April is best for greens.

Bulbous and tuberous-roots, when they have
done springing, i.e. their stalks and leaves begin-
ning to wither.

All fibrous rooted herbes, when springing, and
before they run up to flower ; altho' you may plant
many after the flower is past, stalks and leaves cut,
and they springing afresh. But the first spring is
best.

If drought, water shrubs and fibrous rooted
plants upon their first planting ; at least shade them
from the ensuing scorchings, by covering the sur-
face with some vegetable or litter, and water the
same thoroughly if needful.

And though youmustwater fibrousand some bul-
bous roots in drought, once in two or three dayes ;

66

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

yet be sparing, and defend them from too much
raine.

To propagate by cuttings, is to cut off the branch
or stem of a plant, and so set it in the earth with-
out roots.

Strip it of leaves and branches, twist the branch,
if it not too brittle ; plant deeper than these with
roots, and in a rich and moist soil, keeping it watered
and shaded, until rooted ; cut off their tops, except
greens, as if your cutting be twelve inches long, let
nine be under, and three above ground.

The better to effect the rooting, if a hard sub-
stance, as yew, quince, &c. twist their ends a little,
or cleave them a piece. If tender plants of great
pith, as jasmines, July-flowers, &c. cut only at a
joint or knot, and plant them, and cover these cut-
tings, especially July-flowers or pinks, with bell-
glasses, and in the sunshine shade them, nor suffer
them to have any air until they are well rooted and
are growing ; for air rots cuttings, but it is other-
wise in layers. If large stems of pithy trees, as pop-
lars, &c. sharp their ends down to a point, reserv-
ing the bark whole on one side.

If stock- July-flowers, slit the bark near the end
in several parts round the stem, fold up the bark so

67

THE SCOTS GARDENER

cut, and, taking the peel'd part close off, plant the
same with this bark, spread as you do a root.

The time of planting cuttings is, if trees and
shrubs, a little before they spring ; and if herbes,
when springing, as above for off-sets ; and let the
stems of July-flowers and wall-flowers be well shot,
i.e. something firme, and take such as have not had
a flower.

To increase by laying, is to bend down some branch
to the ground, and, with a hooked stick thrust into
the ground, stay the same in its place, and cover
with earth of deepness as you see fit. Let the soil
be good, watered, and shaded in drought from the
scorching sun, and sheltered in winter if needful.

To force their rooting (if July-flowers) prune off
the under and withered leaves, and cut it at a joynt
into the pith, i.e. half way through, and slit it up to
the next joynt; thrust down the cut part gently in-
to the ground, making it fast, and cover it as before.
If trees and shrubs, prick the rind full of holes at
the place interred, or cut away the bark round at
the same place ; but if the branch be small, use it as
July-flowers, and if any refuse, bind them hard and
fast above the slit with a piece of pack-threed or
wyre, to stop the sap in its course, that it may pro-

68

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

vide for rooting. Cut off all your tops as you lay
them, except greens, and some very pithy trees.

The time for laying all trees and shrubs that lose
the leaf, is October, as also March, if secured from
drought. All greens in April, which therefore must
be shaded. July-flowers in March, April, or July.

The trees or shrubs will be rooted that time twelve
months, at which time transplant them. The July-
flower slay ed in March maybe transplanted in July,
or if layed in July may be transplanted next March
or April.

Circumposition is used in all cases, as laying, ex-
cept only that the earth must be raised up to the
branch, because it will not bend down to it. There-
fore fasten a pot, a basket, old hat, or the like, on
the tree, by a stake or some supporter ; let it have a
hole initsbottome, through which you must put the
branch to be propagated, and then fill the pot with
rich earth, having ordered the branch, as before,
to cause it root ; water it often. Willow-earth or
rotten willow-sticks at the bottom of the pot, helps
to retain the moisture. I have effected this with clay
and cow's manure well mixt, after part of the bark
has been taken off round, clapt about with a double
or triple swaddling of straw, or hay ropes.

THE SCOTS GARDENER

This a mid-summer as well as a spring work, and
very notable for propagating such as can scarcely
be otherwayes obtained.

Grafting is to take a cyon of a tree, and place into
another, call'd the stock, fit to receive the same,
that the inward bark or rind of both may joyn, and
the saps unite, &c. Whereof there are several way es,
as,

First, of grafting in the cleft ; saw off the head of
the stock in a smooth place, about half a foot above
ground, f or dwarf s and wall-trees ; as also standard
appleandpear,(fortheywillshootupforabody),but
betwixt three and four foot for standard-cherrie
and plumb. Pare its head ragled by the saw smooth ;
cleave it a little beside the pith, and with your pen-
knife cut away any jags, roughness, or blackness,
that remaines after cleaving on each side the cliff
within ; then prepare the graff , by cutting on both
sides from some knot or bud in forme of a wedge,
suitable to the clif t, with little shoulderings, not rag-
ling the end. For if the bark be raised at the tail or
lower end of the graff, especially the cherrie, it im-
pedes its growing ; cut off its top about three inches
above the shoulderings, close behind a leaf -bud, then
open the clif t with a grafting iron ; set the graff (or

70

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

two graffs if the stock be great)in the clif t so as the
inwardpartof therindof the graff may joyn exactly
and close to the in ward part of the bark of the stock;
andif it pinch, as great stocks will, bind it notas you
must do the smaller. Or put in a little wedge gently
to keep it ; take a slice of bark from the cut-off head,
and cut a hole therein, so as it may slide on, and join
round the butt of the graff, and cover the stock close
over in forme of a hawk's hood. Lastly, cover it
with clay, tempered with horse-manure that hath
a little short litter in it, or with soft wax for smaller
stocks. This is to preserve it from cold and drying
\vinds, and from wet which harms most.

Note. If the stock stands perpendicular, set the
graff on the west-side ; if not, then place it on the
upper side ; if you fear winds, support them with
sticks, as splinters to a broken bone.

Unbind, when you find their bands harme them,
towards mid-summer ; at which tyme top such as
have shot so large as to be in danger of breaking
with the winds, especially these graff ed in the bark,
hereafter to be described.

Pull up suckers close and cleanly from the roots;
also rub off buds that appear on the stock. Graffs
cannot thrive or prosper, if the stocks be uncleanly

71

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

or ill-thriving, and this is occasion'd through bad
training.

Another way of clift-graffing, is, to cleave the
graff and not the stock. Thus : prepare the stock and
graff as for shouldering (next described) then with
the pen-knife cleave the inward face of the grass
in the cut part, and cut up the stock with a slop, so
that one lip of the clif t-cyon may be bound on the
one side of the stock, and the other longer lip on
the outside, as in shouldering.

The graff sits here as on a saddle, with a leg on
each side the stock, and therefore will better resist
the winds ; as also, the wound caused by the clif t
will sooner recover. I have them wholly healed
the same year wherein I graffed them.

Shouldering is to cut off the heads of the stock,
and smooth it as at first ; then cut the graff from
a knot or bud on one side, sloping about ane inch and
a half long, with a shoulder, but not deep, that it
may rest on the head of the stock. The graff must
be cut from the shoulder, smooth and even, sloping
gradually, that the lower end be thin ; place the
shouldering on the head of the stock, and mark by
the end of the cut part of the graff, and cut away
so much bark off the stock as the graff did cover;

72

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

then place both together, that the cut parts of both
may joyn, and saps unite one on the other ; bind
them close together with bass, and hood them with
clay tempered with manure or wax, as before.

Graffing in the bark may be used in greater stocks,
or in re-graffing of old trees, and is only for apples,
becauselaterinperforming,whichmaybethelatter
bnd of April, when the bark of the stock will peel;
for when both stock and graff is prepared, as in
shouldering, instead of cutting away some bark off
the stock, for receiving the graff, you must slit it
011 the south-side from the top, almost as long as
the sloped part of the graff, and loosen the bark at
the top of the slit, with the point of the half round
wedge, made a purpose, tapering downwards to a
point ; which also thrust down between the bark
and stock, to make room for the graff; but first cut
a little bark at the thin end of the slop of the cyon,
that it double not in going down, yet leave it with
a sharp edge ; and because, when the cyon is put in,
it will bear the bark hollow from the stock-nick or
slit, press the bark on each side the cyon, so that
it may fall close to the stock, and to the edges of
the cyon, then bind and cover as before.

Graffing by approach, is good for these that hold
73

THE SCOTS GARDENER

not well otherwayes ; but herein the stock must be
placed so near the tree where the graffs are, that
the branch may reach it; then you may clift or
shoulder-graff the twig you mean to propagate into
the stock ; and as soon as graff and stock do unite
and are incorporated together, cut off the cyon or
graff underneath, close to the graffed place, that
it may subsist by the stock only.

Root-graffing is, to take the twig of any tree you
mean to propagate, and a piece of root of the same
kind, cut and raised up a little, and graff them by
shouldering, uniting the butt-ends of graff and root,
causing the rind of the root joyn to the rind of the
graff, and so bind them. The next year they may
be transplanted to a nurserie : these will be easily
dwarfed, and readily hold ; besides that the defect
of stocks are supplied, and they are fit for trans-
portation.

There are many other wayes, but these nam'd
are the most material.

The time of grafting is, when the sap begins to
stirr in the spring ; you must begin earlier with
cherries and plumes, some later with pears, ending
with apples.

Choice not your graff from such trees as are ill-
74

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

bearers, neither from such as have not come to bear
at all ; but from constant and well-bearing trees,
and the fairest and fullest of buds thereon. Let
them have a piece of the precedent year's shoot,
whereof make the tail and shouldering immediately
below the butt of young wood ; and if the stock be
large, make the graffs wholly of the last year's
shoot : and such (having blowing buds actually
upon them) I have seen bear fruit the same year.
But some old bearing trees yield no graffs ; where-
fore you may cut out some great branch, that it
may shoot anew ; or rather takeoff the same branch
by circumposition,and plant, and the new tree may
furnish you with graffs. Cut your graffs, ere they
sprout, and keep them or carry them with their
ends in clay, or dry in a box, their tops being cutoff.

Inoculation differs from the former wayes of
graffing, and is most proper for apricoks and
peaches : any sort will more readily hold by this
than by graffing, except cherries ; they come quickly
to be a tree : for I had a plum shoot above six foot
ten inches the first year ; and tho' they miss, yet
the stock is not the worse. Therefore,

In some convenient and smooth part of the stock,
at the same height as for graffing, with the pen-knife

75

THE SCOTS GARDENER

cut the rind overth wart, and from the middle there-
of, gently slit the bark about an inch long, in form of
a T, not wounding the stock ; then nimbly prepare
the bud, by cutting off the leaf to a little of the tail;
then slit the bark on each side, a little distance from
the bud, and, about half an inch above and below
the same, sharpen the end below, that it may the
more easily go down ; and having a quill cut more
than half way, about an inch long at the end, for
dividing the bud and rind from the stalk, therewith
take it off dexterously, and leave not the root
behind ; for if you see a hole under the bud on the
inside, the root is gone ; cast it away, and prepare
another when the bud is ready ; then with a bone,
made half round, and sharp at the point, tapering
on one side, raise the bark or rind on each side the
slit carefully, not hurting the inner rind, and with
care put in the bud, thrusting it down till its top
joyn with the cross cut ; then bind it close above
and below the bud with dried rushes or bass. Or,

You may slit the bark of the stock upwards from
the cross cut. Or,

Cut the edges of the bark about the bud of an
oblong squair, and the bark of the stock fit to re-
ceive the same. Or,

76

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

Reserve one fourth of this squair piece of bark
of the stock untaken off at the upper end, which
must be raised, that the shield may slide up be-
twixt the same and the stock, and so bind it gently,
as before.

The time for inoculation is, when the sap is most
in the stock, namely from June till August ; near
a month after unbind, i.e. cut through binding and
bark, with a gentle slit on the back side of the stock
leaving the binding to fall away of its own accords,
at which time you will see which holds. In March
following cut off the head of the stock four inches
above the bud, and at that time twelve months, the
stub too, that it may heal over the wound. You
may prune as graffes, and pull up suckers, &c. See
Chap. IV. for more.

Choise your buds from good bearers, as before ;
take them from the strong and well grown shoots
of the same year, and from the biggest end of the
same ; and if you must carry them far, first cut off
their leaves and top of the stalks, and wrap them
in moist leaves or grass.

This much at present in general, for the time and
manner of the several wayes of propagation.

In planting all plants, prune their roots, that is,
77

THE SCOTS GARDENER

top them a little with a sharp knife, except aspar-
gus. Also cut their heads, except greens, and tops
of forrest trees ordain'd for timber ; but the side-
boughes most, that the head may be proportion'd
to the root.

Plant no trees deep, (albeit some deeper than
others); when their roots run near the surface,
there they receive the beneficial influence of the
sun and showres, which make vegetables fair and
fruitful.

Lay litter, or any like, above ground, the compass
of their roots, especially the first year of planting :
and indeed, all plants require some shelter and
shade with moisture when first planted, till they
get rooting and strength.

Cut the leaves and stalks of flowers and herbes,
when they are past flower or have yielded seed, nor
at any tyme suffer too many ; rather purge them in
tyme. Suffer no more branches, flowers, or fruits,
on any tree or plant than the root can nourish per-
fectly.

Neither plant or sow every year the same plants
on the same ridge or bed, for it improves them to
be changed ; see more fully planting, pruning, pre-
serving, &c. in their respective places following.

78

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS
CHAPTER II

HOW TO CULTIVATE AND PREPARE GROUNDS

HAVING shew'd the several wayes of propagating
plants, it is also most requisite that you prepare the
ground for effectuating the same. And that is, in
the first place,

To trench it, viz. begin at one end of the ground,
(you mean thus to cultivate and open) by a trench
from one side thereof to the other, three or four foot
broad, from one to two foot deep, as the quality of
the ground admits, and the plants require, as liquor-
ish, which must have it deeper. This being opened,
measureoff otherf our f ootparallel at its side, turne
that into the open trench, with the turf or surface
in the bottome and the clean earth on the top ; the
filling whereof emptieth another ; therefore cut off
other four foot, and turne in as before ; thus trench
by trench till the whole be finished. I presume you
carry the earth of the first trench to fill the last, or
have other wayes filled hollo wes there with, and left
the last trench open (if convenient) for receiving
weeds. Or if the ground be hollow in the middle,
begin there, and trench both wayes to help the level ;
if high in the middle, begin at both sides or ends, till

79

THE SCOTS GARDENER

the two open trenches meet at the height, for the
same reason.

The latter end of harvest the ground is softest for
trenching, and it lying all winter open to the wea-
ther is thereby meliorated. For as trenching doth
well prepare hard, barren, and untoil'd ground, so
doth it such as is exhausted by long and unskilful
usage ; and if at every trenching you apply proper
manures mixt with the second spading, or under
the last shovelling, and in five years re-trench, it
will become to your wish, for all gardens, and plan-
tations.

The next excellent way of preparing ground, is
fallowing : begin as soon as you reap the crop; but
let the ground be something moist, altho' you should
stay for a sho wre ; if it be not late in autumne, you
may fallow in November, especially if stiff ground,
and re-stirre in March or April when you plant or
sow: and altho' you should neither plant nor sow
it that year, keep it clean of weeds in summer by
hawing, &c. and at autumne fallow again ; but as
intrenching, so in this work, you should mix it with
proper soil.

Make use of the English fashion of spades, which
are now common, and let every two delvers have a

80

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

shoveller to cast up the small mould that falls in the
bottom of the furrow; and the delvers should turne
up the point of the spade, and nimbly break and chop
all the clods thoroughly ; this is very material, as
well as the thorough mixing of the manures with
the soil ; so that mixing, stirring, re-stirring and
fallowing, is most pertinent for the cold, chilled,
barren, rugged-natur'd ground in Scotland, all
which softens and tenders it, and so fits it for nour-
ishing good seeds and plants, as I can tell experi-
ence ; therefore,

I advise our husband-men also to the fallowing
of their land as one requisite; slit-folding the same,
as a second ; watering or overflowing the land, as
a third; burning the turf , as a fourth ; draining ex-
cessive moisture, as a fifth ; applying proper soils
and manures, and thatat proper seasons, as a sixth ;
laying the land to rest, as a seventh ; and above all,
inclosing and planting about their land, as the last
and best improvement.

Example : At the autumnal fallowing, delve or
plow deep, and apply hot unrotted and uncom-
pounded manures ; at spring re-plow or re-delve,
and apply such manures as have layn mixed and
rotted with earth ; then mix, rake or harrow. The

81 6

THE SCOTS GARDENER

summer following is to destroy the weeds, and that
may be done by turf, plough or hawing.

The husbandmen's slit-folding is equivalent to
gard'ners covering the surface, especially of dry
and barren ground, with litter &c. The manure of
cattle washes evenly into ground, and should be
turned down by the summer and autumnal fallow-
ing, lest its substance exhaust by the sun and air,
except that for grass, then only harrowed with a
bush of thorns ; instead whereof gard'ners should
top their coverings of litter with a little earth or
sand, and at autumne delve all down together.

Husbandmen's watering is, by running plough-
furrowes and trenches where needful, alongst or
cross their land, so as the water may gently sweem
over the whole. This is to be done in the winter on
dry and barren grounds, which leaves a sulphureous
deposit behind it, and strongly improves either for
grass or corn ; but what this husbandry ought as
well to be practised on wet grounds, is evident, be-
cause the running of this carryes away the sour
quality of the other. I shall speak of gard'ners
watering more particularly.

Burning land is, to pare its surface with the turf-
plough, and lay the same in heaps to burn, and so

82

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

spread the ashes. But if moss and heath, set fire
through, without turfing it; this destroys the noxi-
ous sour nature, and the salt remains in the ashes,
for the strengthening the spirit of the earth.

Draining the wet, bogie or dropsical ground, is,
by trenches a little deeper than the spring, (how
deep soever), and then apply lyme, soot, ashes,
pigeon manure, &c. As for the abounding of super-
ficial water, that is easily helped by common water-
sowers, or in some grounds by sinking holes down
to the channel.

As the husbandman should have his land layed
out or divided into several closes, some for corn,
some for meadow, and others for pasture ; so when
he has taken five, six, or seven crops of corn, he
should lay it out for pasture, otherwayes it will
wear out of heart; and likewayes the pasture must
be plowed up for corn, especially when it begins to
grow mossie.

The way that the gard'ner turns his ground to
rest, is by trenching and re-trenching, whereby it
can never wear out, albeit, he must also observe to
change the crops as well as the husbandman.

How to enclose and plant your land see Chap. IV.

Among all the varieties of soils, that next the sur-
83

THE SCOTS GARDENER

face of them is best, because prepared by the in-
fluence of the sun and showers.

That called a loam or light brick earth, is the most
natural ground for gardens and plantations; strong
blue, white, or reid clayes are worst. But the nearer
they are to a mixture of loam, or if they have stones
naturally in them, they are the better : also the
nearer gravelly or sandy grounds incline to loam,
so much the better. Therefore if your ground be
stiff, trench with ferns, straw, bean-ham, thatch,
litter, earth under wood-stacks, small sticks, &c.
If gravelly or sandy, then trench and mix with loam
or the upper part of clay ; the turf of both is good.

If strong clay, trench and mix with fat sand, high-
way earth that hath drift-sand in it, rubbish of
buildings, lime-rubbish, gravel, &c. And if it be
for gardens or orchards, enrich it with manures
mixt with drift-sand, or light mould heaped up
stratum super stratum, i.e. laying by laying. And
if the ground be cold, the more pigeons and poul trie-
manure you put upon it, the lighter and warmer
it will be. Or make stratums of earth, manure, and
unslaked lime-stones to ly a year, and then apply
this composition, which has been hitherto a great
secret : therefore prize it.

84

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

Binding grounds, which will not rake as you delve,
if dry and hard, trenching and fallowing exposeth
them to be softened by weather as is said. But if
wet and tough, mix with ashes, sea-sand, &c. in cul-
turing.

For preparing my composts, I use a pit, wherein
sometimes I make a hot-bed, made oblong, about
four foot deep, as I set manures, vegetables, and
soils to fill it. Here I lay all kindes or sorts with
stratumsof earth, as horse, neat, sheep, pigeons and
poultrie-manure, ferns, weeds, leaves, soot, ashes,
sticks, saw-dust, feathers, hair, bones, urine, scour-
ing of pondes, ditches, blood, pickle, brine, sea-
water, the cleansing of a house or office, &c. I let
them lye a year at least, but not above two. Then
I take them out, and then stirre, air, mingle and
work them with fresh earth or by themselves, as
I have occasion, till they become sweet and of an
agreeable scent, yet retaining their virtue ; this
frees them from the noxious qualities they other
wayes retaine, and consequently are not so apt to
gender or produce worms, weeds, and mushrooms,
instead of wholsome and pleasant plants, fruits, and
roots for the table.

Observe what manures are proper for the soil.
85

THE SCOTS GARDENER

All hot-manures are proper for cold, stiff, and moist
grounds. So all rotten and cold manures are proper
for dry and hot grounds. All manures that retain
moisture, are for poor, sandy and gravelly soils.

Horse-manure is for stiff and cold ground ; sheeps
for hot and dry ; ashes for cold, stiff and moist ; old
woollen-rags for poor and dry ; lyme is most ex-
cellent for moorish and heathy land ; hair of beasts
for dry and stiff ground ; pigeons and poultrie-man-
ure for cold and moist ; rotten saw-dust for dry ;
rubbish of buildings for stiff cold grounds ; salt for
cold and moist, but use it moderately, for it destroys
vegetables on dry ground, especially at first, but
when melted by winter-rains, it f ertilizeth : some
have sowen it on moist moorish land to great ad-
vantage, for being f arr from the sun they have little
volatile.

In your applications you are to consider, that
rotten-manures are proper for trees and such slow
growing plants, andun-rottenmanuresf or annuals,
they being of quick digestion.

Let not the root of any tree stand on manure, far
less unrotten-manure, which burns them ; but upon
prepared and proper soil, and composed, well mixed,
aired, stirred or fallowed. Most fit is the cleansing

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

of streets and high ways, together with the mud and
scouring of pondes and ditches. If first laid on heaps
in the open air to rot and sweeten, and if you mix
it with strata of lyme, that adds much to its good-
ness and fertility.

Forest-trees require not so much manure as fruit-
trees ; but well mixed and fallowed soil.

Kitchen-herbes and roots require very fat, light,
warme, and well-cultured ground.

Flowers and fine plants cannot endure soil too
rank with manure, neither can they prosper if it
be poor ; but fresh, clean earth, with rotten neats-
manure, well beaten and mixed together, and a
little rotten willow-earth a little below the roots :
then comes in that delicate soil, the turf of the pas-
ture, mix'd with a little lyme, cow's and sheeps-man-
ure, well rotted and mingled as before. See more
particularly what soil each kind or sort of plant de-
lights in, or loves best, in their respective chapters
and sections following.

As for making the hot-bed for raising early and
tender plants, dig a pit four foot deep, because in
the spring the ground is often wet in this country,
and of length and breadth as you have occasion, in
a convenient and warm place, lying well to the sun

87

THE SCOTS GARDENER

and sheltered from winds, which you may keep by
art, if not naturally so ; fill it with manure and lit-
ter from the stables, about a fortnight's gathering,
and, when well trodden, and even on the top, lay
about four inches thick of rich, light, but fresh and
clean, sifted mould thereon. Arch it over with sticks,
and cover it with mats four or five dayes to cause it
heat ; then uncover and give it air a day or two, that
its violent heat may pass off ; then sow your seeds
and cover the bed again. And the next day, if you
find the bed too hot, give it more air ; if too cold,
cast some straw on the covering, untill the heat re-
turne ; thus, by airing and covering, you may keep
it in a constant temper. When the seeds come up,
give them air to dry the moisture raised up by the
heat of the bed. How to cover the seeds with glasses
see Chap. VI. But as there is great trouble in right-
ly ordering this sort of hot-bed ; so it is here remedied
by a better, which is only to fill and tread the pit
full of new manure and litter, not covering it with
earth, and place wooden cases therein, about nine
or ten inches deep, and about three foot broad,
having wood-handles at the end ; bore them full of
auger or wimble-holes at the bottome, and fill them
wi th the f or esaid earth, and therein sow your seeds ;

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

instead of these some use baskets or pots, which
are very fit. But these cases with the earth in them
must be kept warme during the whole season,
wherein a hot-bed is necessary ; and if they lose
heat, add fresh manure and litter under, about and
betwixt the cases, consequently the trouble of trans-
planting from one hot-bed to another is hereby
saved. There is dew on the glasses while the heat
remains, but if exhausted, they will be dry. Provide
a shelter over the whole, if you please, and frames
of glass over some of the inside cases, where there
is most need ; others you may leave open, as your
seeds require. By this your pit and cases are every
year ready to your hand, requiring only a supply
of fresh manure. But this pit will be so much the
more excellent, if lyn'd round at the sides with brick :
and where you can conveniently sink it for water,
you may build the same above ground. And when
this pit is empty, it will be also ready for wintering
of flower-pots, with July-flowers, &c.

In watering plants, use not well-water, especially
for tender plants, neither rivers that run long and
quick on sharp gravel : these yield no nourishment
to plants, but rather chills them; therefore if you
must use such, let them stand some time in the sun

89

THE SCOTS GARDENER

and open air, uncovered in tubs, mixt with manure,
and powr it off the dreg when you use it.

When manure lyes above ground about any
plants, as I use to do with trees, artichocks, &c. the
water descending through the same is very relish-
ing to the roots, if you powr the water at a little
distance round the tree ; for, when lashed on the
stem, it washeth the earth from the roots.

Water no plants with standing, stinking ditch-
water, nor any water that stinketh : rain-water and
large ponde-water is excellent, but keep it not too
long ; yet, if in a large vessel, the of tener you stir
it, the longer it will keep sweet. So the larger your
pondes or rivers be, and the opener to the sun and
air, and the more moved by horse, geese and ducks,
in their sweeming, the sweeter it will be. And, if
the washings of stables, streets, dung-hill water, &c.
run into them, that adds much to their fertility,
providing they have some stirring, to make them
sweet.

If you fear dry weather, differre not too long,
but water while your ground is yet moist ; differre
not if you mind to water at all. These that root deep-
est, water most; and also when you begin, continue
it as long as you find occasion. In watering trees

90

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

and greater plants stir and waken the earth a little
about their roots with a fork, so it may drink the
more evenlier, minding to tread it firme again.
And for the same cause you may sink the earth a
little, in forme of a shallow dish, round your cole-
flowers, artichocks, &c. Dip your flower-pots in a
tub of water, to drink through the holes at the
bottome.

When you water beds of small seeds with the
watering pot, shake it nimbly, that it may fall like
a showre of small rain. I have often made use of a
handful of small straw or hay, drawen as thatch,
tyed in the middle, and at one end powred water
with a cup, and shaken the same, that it appeared
like a gentle bedewing rather than a glutting rain.

Some !that are desirous to have the ground al-
wayes moist about any plant, generally place near
it a vessel with water, and in it a piece of woollen
clothe, with one end thereof hanging out to the
ground, and the other in the water. The cloth being
first wet, it will drop continually, if the end with-
out be lower than that within the vessel ; and when
the water within fails, it may be augmented. If it
drop not fast enough, the clothe may be increased,
if too fast diminished.

91

THE SCOTS GARDENER

Early in the spring while the weather is yet cold,
I intreat you to be cautious in watering the leaves
of the young and tender plants, only wet the ground
about them. When your plants or seeds are more
hardy and the nights yet cold, water in the fore-
noons ; but when the nights are warme, or dayes
very hot, then the evening is the best time.

Plant in wet, and sow in dry; I do not mean over
wet or over dry. Withall let them have good air,
which conduceth much to their health and life,
without which nothing can live.

CHAPTER III

HOW TO PROPAGATE AND ORDER FORREST-TREES

OMITTING here the distinction of species, (having
confin'd them to one chapter), I shall speak briefly,
yet, I hope, plainly, of their government, thus :

Albeit the most of f orrest-trees may be increased
by suckers, layers, &c., yet if you desire trees worth
your while, raise them from the seed. Therefore
prepare a seminary or seed-plot, together with a
nurserie well ordered and handsomely made up in
beds, as in Part L, Chap. IV. And there sow and set
your seeds and plants in their respective seasons ;
keep them clean from weeds, and water them when

92

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

need is. Also dig up and dibble in these cast up by
the frosts, as well as shade and shelter them in time
of necessity. Let them stand, some but one, others
two years in the seminary after they rise; then
remove and plant in the nurserie, in distance a foot
one way, half a foot the other, or five rowes in the
bed (if six foot broad) in straight lines, having first
prun'd their roots, especially toped the main root
that runs straight down ; so shall they send f urth
syde or seeding roots and agree well with trans-
planting thereafter. Also proportion the head to
the root, by pruning up the side boughes, reserving
some of the smallest afterwards all the way on the
body, to stop the sap in its course, that the tree may
grow great with its hight, and this will prove the
best fortification against the winds.

Cut not the tops of these trees you ordain for
timber, except some grow crooked in the nurserie ;
these, save greens, may be fell'd near the ground
in the spring, or at mid-summer, and train up the
streightest shoot again to be the tree. When they
have stood three years at most in this nurserie, re-
plant them at a wider distance in spade-bit trenches,
three foot one way, and two the other, where they
may stand till they be ready for planting out in

93

THE SCOTS GARDENER

your avenues, parks, groves, &c. which will be in
three years, if these rules be observed. But if you
think them yet too small for setting out, you must
transplant them at a wider distance, and at every
removal top all their roots with a sharp knife, and
thin the side-boughes for lightening the head ; but
do not prune all up, as is the custom of ignorants,
whose trees are so long, small and top-heavy, that
they cannot stand. But of pruning more hereafter.
If you neglect this transplanting and pruning the
top-root, while young, your essayes to do it when
old will prove ineffectual, nor will they ever be
worth the while.

All the time that your trees remain in the nur ser ie,
and at least the first and second year thereafter,
be careful to cleanse them from weeds and suckers,
by delving, hawing, &c. The advantage here will
soon counter-balance the cost.

Choice your seeds from the high, streight, young,
and well- thriving trees ; and the fairest, weyghtiest
and brightest thereon ; for it is observed, that the
seeds of hollow trees (i.e. trees whose pith is coii-
sum'd) do not fill well, or come to perfection, as
Langf ord sayes of pears, concluding that the kir-
nells of fruits depend much upon the pith. And

94

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

I bid you reject such as were never set by art, as
peevish parents for children, that must be thus ac-
commodat with uncouth lodgings, as well as dyets
in their travels : It's a mischief in many people,
that accompts all things ridiculous that they have
not been bred up with, or accustom'd to ; so with
trees in some respect.

As for oak, the acorns which we set from * put
forth a lustier root than ours ; nor do I approve of
them in natural woods; they ripe beginning of Oc-
tober ; gather them in a dry day, and lay in some open
room to dry a moneth, turning them with a broom ;
then lay them in a couch of dry sand till the latter
end of February; dibble them in the ground two
inches deep, twelve rowes on the bed, if six foot
broad; they will come up the same season; and al-
though they will grow on any ground, yet they grow
better on the best, that is, a good loamy earth. Order
them as is directed in the nurserie.

The elm that grows with a clean and taper body
is best worthy your care. We have extraordinary
clean and smoothed barked elms from Holland; but
I think they take more paines in preparing and mak-

* A blank space has been left in both the first and second
editions. — A. H. H.

95

THE SCOTS GARDENER

ing the earth fine for them, which certainly is most
conducible to their smoothness. Their seed falls
the beginning of June, tho' it doth not fill every
year; when they begin to fall, gather them and
spread on a clothe a little, then sow them immedi-
ately promiscuously over the bed, and very thick,
covered with near an inch of earth ; I had them
come up within ten dayes ; they love a light earth
something moist.

The ash seed is ripe in November and December;
having spread them a little to dry, put them in a
hole stratum super stratum of earth and seed; take
them out at spring come twelve moneths, and sow
them as elm, for then they rise, and love a tender
soil not too moist.

The great maple, commonly, but falsely called
plane, its seed is ripe in September ; sow it at spring,
it comes up that season; affects a soil with ash, or
rather better.

The smaller maple is rather for hedges ; its seed
lyes as ash.

The beech seed ripes the end of September, but
it fills not well every year, nor are we so very plenti-
ful of old trees as could be wished; for that cause
we send abroad for seed. As soon as it comes to our

96

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

hand it may be sowen, or rather keept in a couch
of sand, as the great maple, till the spring ; for it
comesupthat season; it affects alight soil, no clay es.

The walnut and chesnut, albeit they be fruit-
trees, I plant without the orchard walls ; their nuts
ripe in the beginning of October. When they begin
to fall, take them off , and rub off the outward husk,
but do not weet them; then order them as acorns
they come up the first season, and affect a light
loamy earth. I could wish for more of the seed of
horse-chesnuts from Turkie.

The black cherrie or geen is a tree that I love well
in avenues and thickets; there is a sort at Niddrie-
castle, where I was born, seven miles west from Edin-
burgh, whose fruit is preferable to any cherrie : I
take it for a sort of heart, but it's a great bearer
(which propertie the heart-cherrie wants), they are
best stocks for standard cherries. The learned Eve-
lyn and the ingenious Cook take notice of this
tree.

Gather their fruit when full ripe, the beginning
of August; eat off the fleshy part, i.e. the fruit, and
lay the stones to dry a little ; then lay them by
stratums with earth, which prepares them, if sow'd
at spring, to rise that season, otherwayes, they ly

97 7

THE SCOTS GARDENER

till the next. They affect a light, sharp soil, and, if
you may, mix it with compost, and then it shall be
fit for cherries of all sorts.

The wild service, commonly called rons-tree, their
fruit ripes in September, which you may eat or rub
off by rolling in sand ; then prepare and sow them
as cherrie. They love a moist ground or shade not
wet; if you will plant them in better soil in avenues,
methinks they would be very pleasant, when spread
over with their umbel-f ashion'd bright red fruit.

The line or lidne tree commonly called lym, the
broad leafed, with odoriferous flowers is best ; the
seedripes the beginning of October, but fills not well
every year with us ; andindeed wehavebutf ew that
come to any considerable perfection ; yet I have seen
them bear seed at Hamiltoun: it should be a little
dryed in an open room, and couched in moist sand
till winter pass, and then sow'd in a little shade in
May ; they must not be too much exposed to the
scorching sun. They come up the same season ; but
if not prepared through the winter, they lie till the
next. They love a fresh loamie earth, and, in plant-
ing them, I advise you to cover the surface of the
earth about them with litter, topt with earth, the
first year at least.

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

The hornbeam may be ordered as small maple ;
they like a dry stiff ground ; they are for copses.

The hassell and filboards' seed or nuts are used as
walnuts ; they delight in dry banks, nor are they
stately f orrest-trees.

The birch is a proper tree for much of our poor,
dry and barren grounds. I never raised any of them
by seed, in the wood they are so plentie by suckers,
&c. Many of these handsome trees I have planted
successfully.

The seed of the bean-trefoil, vulgarly called pease-
cod-tree, ripes in October ; and being kept dry all
winter, and sown at spring, it comes up that season,
and affects a moist ground, but sweet.

The white poplar, vulgarly called abele, is a quick
grower and pleasant tree ; so is aspen ; they are
easilie propagated by cuttings, so is the last by
suckers : see Chap. I., Part II. They love a good soil,
something moist.

The alder is so propagable,and loves the marshes;
and so are the willowes, sallows, and oziers, they all
affecting a moist ground, and must be so kept till
rooted.

But I come to greens ; as,

The pine-tree and pinaster s, whose husks you may

THE SCOTS GARDENER

expose to the sun till they open, and seeds fall out,
are to be sowen in March ; but, if late before they
come home, (they require the summer sun to open
them), if you then sow, they cannot get strength
sufficient to withstand the ensuing winter ; there-
fore keep them in dry sand all winter, and sow them
in the spring, for they rise that season where in they
are sowed. They love a good and tender soil ; they
are something tender while young, (as all greens
are) ; the great pine is tenderer than pinasters, and
nice in transplanting ; therefore observe the rule
in Chap. VII. Shade and shelter in both extremi-
ties of heat and cold while young. But there is none
so proper for us as,

The Scots firre : many a one of their husks have I
gathered any time between January and the latter
end of March ; lay them on a cloth in the sun which
opens them, to be sowen the latter end of Aprile
They come up that season, and love a soil with the
pinus. See how to order in nurserie : for they must
be dibbled in again the first year, as spued up by
frosts. They of any tree will grow on most sorts of
ground, if well ordered and prepared, and secured
from drought the first year. And therefore help
where it is not to purpose, (they will repay you or

100

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

yours for your pains) ; if you plant in gravelly, or
dry sandy ground, mix it with clay and turf e a large
distance round about the roots ; or, if in stiff and
moist clayes, trench eight or nine foot on each side
round the compass of the roots, adding small gravel,
fat sand, &c., and plant ebb. But enough of this in
the last chapter.

The silver fir is so ordered: only it is tender
while young and subject to blasting.

The pitch-tree (as common firre) is a hardie tree,
and no wonder; seeing, as I am informed, it growes
by nature plentifully in Norraway.

The yew is also a hardie tree, and only requires
some defence while young ; their berries ripe in
November : rub off the flesh or clammy substance,
and lay them to dry a little, (but not by the fire),
then box them stratum super stratum of earth and
seed, placing them in the shade till the spring come
twelve moneths ; at which time sow them, and then
they spring. It affects a good soil, not stiff.

The holly is to be used as yew, for they ly as long ;
it's the most proper for hedges of all plants in the
world. Next thereunto is the hawthorne, (tho' not
a green), whose seed ripes in October, and is to be
used as holly; for it riseth not till spring come

101

THE SCOTS GARDENER

twelve moneths : and the better you prepare and
mix the ground, the larger will they shoot. Nor let
any imagine, that holly also loves not manured
ground; nay, (say they), poor and gravelly soil: but
I know the contrary by experience.

I shall speak of some shrubs in Chap. VII. for I
must leave them here, and come to shew you how
to transplant and prune the stately forrest- trees.

In transplanting, remove with earth about their
roots, if you can, especially greens : at least take all
the roots up a good distance from the stem, by
making a trench round, but be not hastie. Then top
all their roots with a sharpe knife, the slop tending
down as a horse foot ; cut off all the bruised and
broken parts till you come at firme wood ; top the
small roots like hair to make them stiff, so as they
fold not when the earth is put in, and rot thereby.
Proportion the head to the root by thinning it,
prune the side-boughs, reserving alwayes some for
tapering the tree : these you may cut close and
smooth by the body, slanting upwards, and they
will soon over-grow the wounds, if the branch cut
off be not great. Cut notthe topsof oaks or beeches,
they cannot endure it, neither any tree that you
ordain for timber ; albeit I have been necessitate

102

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

to lop great old trees, whose heads could not other-
wayes be conf orm'd to their roots, which necessarily
are diminished upon removal. But this is not the
case of well-trained trees in a nurserie.

The rule for removing old large trees out of woods
or other places, who were never before transplanted,
is to make a trench at two sides of the tree, at a
considerable distance, till you can force the tree
upon one side ; then cut the top root through, sav-
ing as many collateral roots as you can ; lessen its
head, or top it, if it will suffer, and so set up the
tree again, and tread in the earth about it, as it was.
Let it stand two years to emit fibrous or feeding
roots to nurse it when planted out.

But to my nursed trees again. When you remove,
as is directed, carry them as quickly to their new
quarters as you can. Let the soil where you set
them be as connatural to the nurserie as possible ;
see the last chap, for preparing grounds. For the
orderlie wayes of planting see Part I. Chaps. II.
& III.

The best way is to make the holes a year before
you plant, and in summer stirr and turne their earth,
that no weeds grow thereon. Make them betwixt
twelve and eighteen inches deep, and betwixt four

103

THE SCOTS GARDENER

and eight foot diameter, if ordinarie trees. But if
the ground be bad, and not proper for the trees,
then trench, mix and apply, till such becomes more
agreeable.

When you plant, lay the surface in the bottome
and fill up the hole with fine earth, till it can only
admit the upper part of the root to stand level with
the surface ; (this is not to plant deep, for they that
do but cheat themselves). Then set on the root of
the tree in the middle of the hole, and if no earth
adhere to the same, make a little hut in the middle
of small earth, and so lay the roots right spread
round about with your hands, that none ly folded
or disorderly ; then put in fine small earth amongst
the roots, and shake and move the tree, so that the
earth may go in amongst them till no cavity or void
be left to let in the air ; such roots as fold, raise up
and level in their wonted posture with your hands,
shovelling on more earth, and tread gently ; then
fill one more, and tread well with your heels, till it
be as f arr filled up about it as it stood in the earth
before ; make the bulk about level on the top, and
just the breadth of the hole, and it will be about
half a foot above the surface, if ordinary nursed
trees and good ground. You may put on the round-

104

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

ing-string to make its edges circular and handsome,
or, if you will to make it like a geometrical squair,
then straight lines from side to side of a thicket will
make up the bulks, that the whole will appear as
walks and bordures two wayes. Lay new horse-
manure, and litter or ferns above the bulk, so as it
touche not the stem, covered with a little earth to
keep it from drying : the rains will wash in its sub-
stance, and refresh the roots. Besides, it keeps out
summer droughts and winter frosts.

The first year at least go through, now and then,
and tread them right after winds. I am not for
staking trees, but for training them so as they may
not need it, except you drive three stakes about
each tree at the outside of the bulk ; then the double
straw-roaps tyed from its body to all three stakes
will secure it : and if you fasten cross-sticks, briers
and thorns, this shall be a fence about each tree.
Rub off buds that offer to break f oorth near the
root, or any place where you would not have them ;
but still leave some here and there on the side to
stop the sap from running too much in head ; keep
them clean of suckers and weeds, by hawing in sum-
mer, and delving, and loosening the mould about
them in spring and autumn, i.e. at the two equi-

105

THE SCOTS GARDENER

noxes; and tread them fast again, as fearing
drought and winds.

Observing what is said, you may expect ornamen-
tal, clean, and well-thriving trees, if right prun'd,
and well inclosed.

Neglect not your time of early planting, that is,
as soon as they give over growing, and before the
frosts come on, and you shall see them far outstrip
these set in the spring, though I have often planted
in the spring through necessity ; but then I was al-
wayes something more than ordinary careful to
defend them from the ensuing droughts, by cover-
ing their bulks, watering, &c., yet I preferre the
spring for firr and other such greens, which there-
fore unavoidably require the same care.

I shewed before how to prune in the nurserie
while young ; now continue it when planted out :
whilst they are small, prune every year ; when a
little older, once in two years ; then once in four,
and never seldomer than in five or six.

And as you prune up the body tillit arrives at the
desired height, leave small branches here and there
by the way, that it may bring greatness with its
height, and be by consequence the more able to
stand ; let never a tree get a greater head than its

106

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

root is sufficiently able to nurse and bear ; neither
be rash in loping them, except they be already top-
heavy, which brings crookedness ; if so, cut at a
crooked place, slanting upwards, clean and smooth,
and train up the straightest shoot again to be the
tree ; or rather if you can save its head by thinning,
viz. cut the under-side thus at mid-summer, and slit
the bark in the spring, so may it grow straight and
taper. Purge still the head when needful, and prune
superfluities ; cut off all that cross, rub, fret, and gall
one another. Permit not trees to fork; train them
with one straight and taper body, and a handsome,
round, pyramidicalhead. And when you prune, cut
close and smooth by the body or bough with the
knife, or chissell and mell ; or, if the branch be great,
cut with a saw, nicking it first underneath, and
smooth it with the chissell, so will it the better heal.
But if the tree be very old, and the branches great,
such will never be able to overgrow the wound ;
therefore if you must cut such, do it at a little dis-
tance from the body, the wound declining to the
horizon. Thus train pines, firrs, pitch, and these of
the conical tribe in stories only, which methode they
naturally follow ; you may cut out some of the great-
est branches of the under storie, but so as you leave

107

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

them regular or equally furnished round ; so may
you leave one storie, cut out the second, leave the
third, &c. Cut not their tops, yet you may crop some
of their side-boughes, if the tree be top-heavy, and
afterwards, as the tree gets footing, cut these clean
off.

There be two seasons for pruning such as lose the
leaf: the first for those of little pith, is October and
November, or any time in winter; and for those of
soft wood and great hearts, and greens, let the frosts
be over, and before the sap in them rise, except firrs,
and other rosinous trees, which must be prun'd in
November ; because if prun'd in March they bleed,
and in September and October they have not given
over growing.

The second time is mid-summer, which is ordin-
arily about the end of June ; this is a safe time to
prune those of great pith, and such as are unapt to
bleed; but especially for young shoots of this year:
extirpate all such buds and shoots as you desire not
to grow, and hereby you may make clean bodied
trees, albeit never so apt to break out in side-
boughes, as some elms are. For the diseases of all
trees, with their cures, see Chap. V.

108

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS
CHAPTER IV

OF HEDGES AND INCLOSURES

As there is no countrey can have more need of
enclosing than this, so none is more needful of en-
closing; for we well know how vain it is to plant,
unless we inclose.

I spoke of brick and stone-walls ; now for hedges
I prefer holly and hawthorn, raised from seed, al-
beit there be several others. Mix not hedges, be-
cause strong-growers over-grow the weak; neither
suffer briers, brambles, docks, or thissels therein.

Your hollies having stood two years in the semin-
ary, and two in the nurserie, remove them by a
tr o wall, or a spade, with a clod of earth at their roots,
croping such roots as appear without the clod with
a sharp knife, and lessen its head by croping the
side-boughes, but cut not its top ; plant it in made
up bordures, or at the back of ditches, at a foot dis-
tance, in good earth. Let them stand two years un-
touched, except weeded : then cut their tops at a
bud to make them furnish thick, and ply their side-
boughes to grow through one another, like slicing
or feathering ; and next year fall to work with the
sheers, cutting both sides and tops as we used to
do with box, &c. never supporting or binding any

109

THE SCOTS GARDENER

hedge, as is the custom of some. Plant your hollies
in Aprile, and, when ready for the sheers, cut in May
and July therewith, and so train them close from
the bottome, but neither too broad nor too high.

The hawthorn having stood two or three years in
the seminary, pull them up, and cut the ends of their
roots, and their tops within four inches of the root,
and plant them within the fence or back of the
ditches in the good earth ; delve them in spading,
by spading all alongst two rowes, at a foot distance,
standing in equilateral triangles, still thickening
your bordure by adding good earth, &c. Let them
stand three years untouched, except weeding and
repairing where any is dead ; then fell them with-
in half a foot of the ground, so will they shoot forth
a thicket of young shoots, which next year may be
train'd with the sheers as before is instructed.

If you would plant your hedge on the face of a
ditch as in wet and tough grounds, then streatch
a line on both sides of the intended ditch, and ritt
with the spade alongst the same, slanting inward ;
for if the ditch be seven quarters wide, it must be
five deep, sloping to a foot in breadth at the bottom ;
then cut the turf or surface of your ditch, and lay
a gang or row of the first spading along by the brink

110

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

of the ditch, sloping at the face according to the slop
determined, with half a foot of table intercepting,
because so much will crumble down by the frosts,
&c. On the top of that lay one row of quicks, their
tops standing up a little towards the ditch ; cover
their roots with fine small earth, and lay another
spading above them, and, if you will, lay another
row of quicks above that, every one opposing the
mid-intervall of the other, and so cover on the rest
of the mould till the ditch be finished, being always
sure to put good earth next the quicks, tho' you
should bring it from the highway or a ridge of land
next thereunto ; and every year scour the ditches,
clapping it up about the quicks. Or a farr better
way is,

To cast half of the earth that comes out of the
ditches to each hand, and quicks on both sides ; ac-
cordingly this will make an invincible fence ; for
then the hedge grows up on both sides, and the gut-
ter betwixtmakesit terrible. But that I am against
the common double (which is two ditches near one
another, and the earth which comes out of both laid
betwixt them with a row of quicks in the face of
each ditch) is, because here the quicks are obnoxi-
ous to the croping of cattle; besides they take much

111

THE SCOTS GARDENER

ground, and the quicks are too much burdened with
earth. Rather, if you be for such, make a little space
betwixt of plain ground, where you may plant the
hedge.

But if you would have arow of trees planted round
by your ditches, then make these two ditches the
breadth of a walk asunder, but parallel, and in that
mid-interval plant one single row of trees, and the
two hedges at the back of the ditches. Here you shall
have two excellent walks of shade ; nor is the ground
lost between these hedges ; you may have good hay,
and in a large quantity. And in effect, this is the
best way that ever I thought upon for inclosing and
sheltering our grounds and plantations : and you
may also make the interval betwixt these hedges
wider, so as you may have two rowes of trees.

Now for fencing the quicks, in all their several
sorts, from the croping of beasts, as indispensably
necessary while young.

If the hedge be planted all along the bank or in-
side of the ditch, then the strong ditch with its
earth casten to both sides will fence it ; and if you
think that not sufficient, set, stake and raise a hedge
on the top of the bank, or rather (which is indeed
much better) cuttings of thorns set thereinaspade-

112

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

bit trench, well backed. Or for want of these, back
up the ditch with turf, which is like half ditching.
But all this time there is but one side of them fenced,
and that next the pasture ; therefore no beast can
come on the other side to eat the f orrage, except
tethered horses. But if you make the hedge or hed-
ges and trees betwixt the two ditches, you may cast
half of their earth to each hand, and back them as
is said, which fences from all hands most elegantly.
And if you plant your hedges in the face of the
ditches, the same backing on each hand will also
fence them.

But where you plant trees at a great distance
through your fields or parks, you may fence every
particular tree by cutting a little trench round,
four foot from the tree, and about two foot wide,
facing it handsomely up like a ditch, laying one
row of turfs or spadings above another, till it be
three foot high from the surface, backing them
with the small earth or shovellings, battering in-
ward to the tree. Here the tree must be high plant-
ed ; tho' the more the soyl inclines to wet, or the
sour it be, plant so much the higher above the sur-
face : you may stick some briers or thorns on the
top of this tump.

113 8

THE SCOTS GARDENER

CHAPTER V

HOW TO PROPAGATE AND ORDER FRUIT-TREES

THE only fruits for this countrey are aples, pears,
cherries, plumes, (and apricocks, and peaches at
south- walls) currans, goosberries, raspberries, &c.
Before I begin, I shall premise observations on
grafting, &c. a sure means to obtain fruits of the de-
sired species, and that in short time ; for by taking
the twig or bud of such a sort as is a good fruit, and
bears well, and graff or inoculate into a proper
stock, you are sure to have the same fruit, because
the graff domineers, albeit it may have a little smack
of its stock whereon it is now graffed. And you
may expect fruit, because it may have actually the
fruit-buds, as being taken from a bearing tree. But
if you sow the seed, they will be long ere they come
to bear, and at length perhaps have no fine fruit ;
and for the seed of graffed trees, they will not bring
the same fruit. Pears and aples will rather bring
a fruit of the nature of the stock whereupon they
have been graffed ; and although you should take
a cyon of the same, and graff in it self, that will not
alter the fruit, nor better the tree, except to check
a little its aspiring, which may as well be effected
by pruning.

114

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

We can also be sure of the desired fruit by cut-
tings, layings, and circumposition, but from such
are alwayes dwarfish and short-liv'd trees, as want-
ing a main-root, which all seedlings have. Hence
ariseth one reason, why stocks should be raised
from the seed : suckers are not so clean and lustie,
therefore not so able to nurse the graffs, and they
are apt to send suckers again. Only I look upon
plum-suckers as very good, because when they
spring off a root at a distance from the stem, they
strike a good root of themselves, very much resem-
bling seedlings. Moreover you may graff on a root,
or a stock sprung off that root, which is near equal
to a seedling.

The seeds of crabs, or wild aples and pears, may
be fit to make stocks of for such trees as are de-
signed for the fields, or more rugged grounds ; but
for a cultivated soil I would choice the seeds of finer
fruits : and so the great white-plum is the best stock
for apricocks,or for want thereof, any other white-
plum with great shoots, albeit it doth on any plum ;
but we reject itself fora stock, as being too spongie,
and not so durable. But peaches and nectarines
take only best upon peach-stocks ; so cherries on
geens, and plumes upon plumes.

115

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

Goosberries and currans need not grafting ; they
do well by suckers, layers, and cuttings.

To make dwarf e-aples, graff or bud on the para-
dise, or any that hath burry-knots, codlings, red-
stracks, &c. Dwarf e-pears on the quince ; but no
pear holds well on it (that I have tried) save red-
pear, achan, and longavil ; but you may re-graff
for varieties. And if you be very curious for these
stocks (which I am not) you may cut them at the
spring, when ready for grafting, within two inches
of the ground; and at August come twelve moneths,
inoculate in that young shoot, and perhaps they
will prosper the better. But I think grafting in the
roots of pears will produce dwarfs.

Dwarf -cherries may be grafted on morella, or on
the common red cherrie,or on that red geen spoken
of in Chap. III. which is more dwarfish than the
black.

The mellow, warmeand light ground is for fruits;
and although the best, warmest and lightest land
yields most excellent corn, yet the strong, stiff, cold
or moist, yields not so goodfruits, plants, grass, hay,
&c. Aples affect a pretty rich loamy soil, tho' they
will bear in a clay, mixt with lyme, manure and
turff.

116

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

Pears will prosper well enough, where the soil
is mixt with gravel ; but both aples and pears are
better relished in warme grounds that are not over
moist, than in cold and wet. Yet there are some
grounds that have sweet moisture, others sour,
which last is very bad, and therefore must be helped
by draining, and application of proper medicines.

Cherries, plums, apricocks, peaches, affect a light
sharp soil, thoroughly prepared and mixed with
rotted manures. As to their propagation :

By grafting are raised aples, pears, cherries,
plumes, quince, medlar, walnut, chesnut, filbeard,
service, &c.

Byinoculation or budding are apricocks, peaches,
nectarines, almonds, goosberries, currans, aples,
pears, plumes, walnuts, &c.

By suckers, are currans, goosberries, barberries,
rasberries, quince, vine, fig, mulberrie ; it is the
white mulberrie that feeds the silk-worme; but
that's to little purpose here.

By layers and circumposition are all sorts raised.

By cuttings, are currans, goosberries, vine, quince,
aples, especially these with burrie-knots.

By nuts and stones, are walnuts, chesnuts, fil-
beards, almonds, peach, plum, cherrie.

117

THE SCOTS GARDENER

By kirnells or seeds, are aples, pears, quinces,
goosberries, currans, barberries, vines, mulberries,
&c.

I have told whereupon to graff aples, pears, cher-
ries, plumes, apricocks, peaches; and as for the
quince, you may graff it on it self, or on hawthorn ;
almond on itself ; medlars on pears or on the ser-
vice; filbeards on the hassell; service, walnuts,
chesnut, goosberrie, curran, all on their own
kind.

In raising the stocks always observe that
Aple and pear-seed must be separated from the
fleshy substance, and spread to dry a little, especi-
ally the cyder-marie, lest it heat; you may roll it
in sand to help the separation : keep it in a couch
of dry sand till winter pass, then sow it as soon as
the frosts are over ; it comes up that season.

Peach, plum and almond-stones must be used in
all cases as cherries ; only you may break the peach-
stones. Use the quince-seed as aples. As for the
rest, Ihaveshewedhowthey are increased, andhow
to performe the several wayes.

But you must prepare a seminary and nurserie,
as before for forest-trees. Sow every species by
themselves, keep them clean of weeds; and the next,

118

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

or second year after the seeds rise, if they shoot
lustily (draw out the biggest first) transplant them
into the nurserie in single rowes, at two foot inter-
val, and half a foot in the rowes, for conveniency
in hawing, graffing, pruning, &c. and observe to
prune the root and side-branches in planting, as I
directed with f orrest-trees. Only, when you have
got them to a convenient height for graffing, you
may cut their tops, to make their bodies swell the
sooner ; albeit this be not permitted with f orrest-
trees. However,graff and inoculate while the stocks
are young, ere they bean inch in diameter, and they
will sooner heal the wound. Let them have a year's
settlement in the nurserie before you graff ; but you
may inoculate that same ensuing summer after
planting, especially if they be very free and lustie.
Next year after graffing remove them to a wider
distance, viz. three foot one way, and a foot the
other; prune their roots at every removal, that they
may provide for a well-shapen head ; cut them near
now while young, if you would have all their
branches of an equal greatness, and of order proper,
as anon I shall inform you.

In setting your stocks in the nurserie, I presume
you will set every kind by themselves, i.e. pears with

119

THE SCOTS GARDENER

pears, aples with aples, &c. And when you graff or
bud, write down in your nurserie-book their species
as they stand, viz. begin at the end of such a nur-
serie, and say : the first row is graff ed with such
a sort, and so f urth ; and, if you have more than one
in a row, then set in a stake betwixt each species,
and so write thus : from such an end of such a row,
to the first stake are so many of such a sort or species ;
thence to the second stake, and so many to another,
&c.

When you transplant fruit-trees into orchards,
do as I directed with f orrest-trees in groves ; plant
not deep, neither trench too deep ; but tempt the
roots by baiting the surface with manures, to make
them run ebb within the reach of the sun and
showres. Therefore mix the earth in the holes,
which should be six or eight foot diameter, with
rotted neats manure, and earth well turned, sweet-
ened, and prepared. Prune their roots at every re-
moval, as in f orrest-trees. Experience forbids me
to make exception of the peach, or any other, as
some do. Always proportion their heads to their
roots by pruning. But here note, that, as f orrest-
trees are train'd up with high bodies, and unlopt
heads, so fruit-trees with low bodies, their heads

120

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

lopt, and branches topt, and therefore are easily
proportion'd, as aforesaid.

Standards four years old, may be planted out of
nurseries into orchards, and also wall-trees two
years old.

The season of the year is as soon as they give over
growing ; if the leaves be not off, cut them, saving
a little tail of their stalks. It's true you may plant
any time in winter, the weather being open ; but
rather let the frosts be over, and the spring ap-
proaching, if you have missed the fore-end of win-
ter, which is the better season.

For standards, are aples, pears, cherries, plumes,
goosberries, currans, barberries, quince, walnut,
chesnut, filberd, service : but I think all these de-
serve not a place in the orchard.

For walls are apricocks, peaches, nectarines, al-
monds, vines, figs, currans, aples, pears, cherries,
plumes, &c. But you need not take up much with
almond, vine, fig nor nectarine.

On the south-side of the wall, plant apricocks,
peaches, nectarines, vine, &c. On the east and west-
sides, cherries, plumes, aples, pears, &c. On the
north-side, plumes, some pears as great bergamot,
some aples, currans especially, and rasps, &c.

121

THE SCOTS GARDENER

When you elect them in the nurserie, hang sticks
tied at them figured, and write the same figure on
the paper at their name, to distinguish their species;
and afterwards, being planted, write them as they
stand.

Begin betimes to prune your fruit-trees ; spare
them not while young ; reduce them into a good
shape and order while such, so they will not only
soon overgrow the wounds, their branches being but
small, but also, when they should come to bear fruit,
you shall not need to cut so much ; only purge them
of superfluities; and this is the way to make trees
fruitful as well as pleasant.

Some ignorants are against pruning, suffering
their trees to run and ramble to such a head of con-
fusion, as neither bear well nor fair ; for the root
is not able to maintain such; farr less fruit too, and
therefore is their fruit so small and imperfect. In
the meantime the tree spends its strength, and so
cannot live long, nor make good service in its time;
yea, sometimes the root is not so much as able to
bear such monstrous heads. I knew one windy day
prostrate above half a score such in a little orchard.

Others again that are for pruning, usually run on
the other extream, by cutting too much and un-

122

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

timely; and some sparing what they should cut, and
cutting such as they ought to spare : but the general
errour, even among the learned, is, that they spare
them when they should prune, viz. the very first,
and second year especially; yea, the first five or six
years, and then they fall a-massackering, at which
time the branches being growen, some of them
greater than others, now run away with all the
nourishment from the smaller, insomuch that no
man can reduce them into order again, having thus
neglected the time ; albeit you should endeavour
it by cutting deep, or exterminating these great
branches, which, I confess, is the next remeed; but
then as these wounds bring cankers, hollowness,
&c. so doth the work retard their bearing fruit.
And indeed it's about the time that trees ordinarily
begin to bear fruit that these unskilful men begin
to prune ; and the more they are thus cut in the
head, the more they spring out to wood, and the
less they bear fruit. But experience has taught me
to begin while young.

And when you do begin, consider on the hight of
the body ; for, as high trees are unprofitable, so too
low trees in orchards are inconvenient; for aple
and pear standards, two or three foot ; plum and

123

THE SCOTS GARDENER

cherrie, three or four foot ; dwarf and wall-trees,
half a foot ; then cut the top that runs straight up-
wards, making it to spread out in branches round.
Suffer no branch to aspire beyond others in hight,
nor any to cross, rub, or gall one another ; and what-
ever branch or twig you cut off, cut close and clean
by the body or branch, except in the case of old
trees and great branches, as I observed in pruning
forest-trees ; and in topping of branches, cut close
and smooth immediately above a leaf -bud, slanting
downwards to cover the wound. And when you
prune, spare the fruit-buds, (the full ones I mean)
except you see them too many, then purge by the
knife. Like wayes, if afterwards you find more fruit
knotted than the tree can be able to nurse to per-
fection, thin them in time.

But your first work is to proportion the head to
the root by pruning ; cut the tops at a convenient
hight, that the tree may grow equally furnished
round ; for cutting, as it diminisheth, so it forms
and shapes the head, insomuch asitfurnisheth with
ne w young shoots, that may be train'd as you please,

Standards should have but four arms breaking
out for a head, opening equally round ; thesedivided
into branches, and again subdividing the twigs.

124

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

And, that you may the better understand what to
cut, you may stand under, go about, and look up
through the tree where you may espy superfluities ;
keep them clear, void, open within like a bell, and
level on the top ; make some larger opens towards
the south, for the sun-beams' entrance. Let no
branch grow cross through the heart, nor shoot
spring up therein ; minding to prune such as cross,
rub, and gall one another, as is before noted ; and
any branches, shoots, or twigs, that grow not the
way you would have them, cut them at the place
whence you think they will sendf urth shoots, which
may lead them the way you desire them ; cut close,
smooth, and slanting, at the back of a leaf -bud tend-
ing that way. By this I bring trees to order.

Wall-trees especially should be cut near while
young, that they may send forth small shoots, for
furnishing your walls from the bottom equally;
andif you continue to top them every year at a con-
venient hight (perhaps about half a foot above the
last) that will make them shoot all their branches
of an equal uniformity of greatness, hight and
thickness, so that no long, bair, or naked branch
may be seen there, neither one or two great, and
all the rest starved and small, which is the common

125

THE SCOTS GARDENER

fault of our wall-trees and is occasioned through
neglecting to cut while young, even the first year,
as is said above.

But albeit a tree right begun, and so going on,
yet one year's neglect, or wrong pruning, may spoil
it. For as I was once pruning wall-trees, an ingeni-
ous person standing by, said, I cut them too low,
aledging thereby, the wall should be long uncov-
ered, desiring me to cut them a little higher. I told
him that was wrong ; but for to satisfie him, I cut
two of them about eight or nine inches higher than
I designed, or should have done. The next year
these two trees left about a foot naked round, and
above the same crown'd like nests, while the rest
were equally and orderly furnished. When he be-
held this, his minde was changed, and I was obliged
to cut exactly where I should have done the prece-
dent year, which was now a little below the middle
of the naked place, and this put them several years
behind the rest of bearing fruit.

You may nail them at Michaelmas that year of
planting, and continue so to do at the seasons here-
after described. Prepare double plancher-nails, and
tags of hats (which is better than leather) ; shape
the tags about half an inch broad, and betwixt three,

126

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

four, and five inches long, making a gash with the
knife near the ends by folding, to put through the
nail ; then spread the tree, laying, plying and nail-
ing on every individual branch by it self, all at equal
distances from one another, not close in one place,
and wide in another ; and let none cross the other ;
the superfluous, and these that will not ply easily,
and the exuberant or lustie that robs the rest must
be cut away.

Well plyed trees will appear like peacocks train
spread ; drive the nail but half way in, and on the
upper side of the branch, else it will lean and gall ;
at every nailing alter the old nails, and beware of
pinching the young branches by making the tags
or binding too tight.

The time for pruning old planted and hardie trees,
is any time betwixt the fall of the leaf and the spring ;
but let the frosts be over before you prune those
that are new-planted, young and tender, and before
the sap rise ; otherwayes the frosts will penetrate
the wounds, and make a sore. But if you must cut
before the frosts, because their heads may be ob-
noxious to the winds, such as are ordinarily the new-
planted standards, then you may cut a little at
spring, and at spring cut off cleanly the pieces left,

127

THE SCOTS GARDENER

as is before noted. Also let the frosts be over before
you prune your wall- trees and before they bud;
only I use to let peaches budfurth a little ere I prune
them, otherwayes pieces of their branches some-
times perish after the knife.

And besides, you must rub off all unnecessary
buds, and pull up sucker sand weeds from the roots :
you must also give all your trees a mid-summer
pruning, which is ordinarily the end of June, and
beginning of July, a good time to cut any shoots of
this year.

Any shoots or buds as tend not only to the de-
forming of your trees, but to rob them of that sap,
which may be otherwayes spent in nursing the tree
and its fruits, but the spring is the time of cropping
or cutting their tops, until the wall be covered;
then crop at both seasons. Thin and purge these
gently, to let in the sun, but not to scorch your fruit.
This is also the time of furnishing your trees with
pedalstoolsor bearers. Therefore in re-pruning, save
as many of the likelyest shoots as are well placed,and
cut them at the third or fourth bud from the tree ;
but cut quite off the lustiest and greatest of this
year's growth (which ignorants do spare) and nail
up such as are for filling up the defects of the wall.

128

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

You may go through them in harvest, and purge
the fruit of superfluous leaves, which hinders the
sun; but do it so, as there may be leaves sufficient
to screen the fruit, and cut quite off the lustie shoots
of this second spring, which rob the tree and fruit.

As for goosberrie and curran-standards, train
them to a foot stem, with a handsome round, but
thin head ; these at walls, half a foot stem, with a
well-spread head, supported with rods laid across,
fastened with nails and tags. Rasps may grow in
shadowy bordures or beds, a foot distance, kept
clean of suckers, weeds and dead wood.

But because some years, in some places, we have
ripe grapes, especially what goes under the name
of f r ontinak ; therefore if you think a tree or two of
them worth your while, plant them at a south-wall,
in a pure and fine mould, not wet, sour and croud,
but a light sweet soil, mixt with some cow's man-
ure, rotted in heaps with the mould. Plant ebb, and
trench not deep ; prune them every year, low in
February, and at the true mid-summer. Cut off the
lustie young shoots and tendralls with sheers be-
twixt the second and third joynt above the fruit,
and in August purge it of superfluous leaves, but
reserve so many as may screen the fruit a little.

129 9

THE SCOTS GARDENER

There are some sorts of fruit-trees that will blow
and bear themselves to death, when young or middle
aged; from such, cut most of the blowing buds, and
thin the head to make it shoot again.

I got some cherries, and other stone-fruit from
Holland, which tooke this decay; wherefore in the
spring, I cut off the blowing buds and the branches,
near the place where the tree headed, reserving only
some buds for receiving the sap, in case they should
have put f urth at the middle of the body, or a little
above ground ; this made them shoot new wood.
Therefore I conclude, that by this, and delving a-
bout, you may keep ill-thriving trees.

There are also some aples and pears, that will be
full of false-bearing buds, that do not blow : such
have got more head than the roots can well main-
tain, and consequently have not strength sufficient
to spare sap for blossoms, f arr less for fruit, which
by pruning and thinning the head, and by slitting
the bark of the body in spring, may be made after-
wards to bear well, when they have put f urth new
shoots at the head.

Some trees there be that will not bear of them-
selves till they be old ; but if you cut off the head
of the shoots, as soon as ever the spring-shoot is

130

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

over, (which is at true mid-summer), and take out
some great boughs then, if you minde your time,
and do it with discretion, you may force that tree
to put furth blowing buds, and blow and bear the
year following, as I shall informe you in the next
sections. But,

One main business is to inclose your plantations ;
avoid planting too deep, too dry, too cold, or too
moist, and guard your orchards from winds, by
planting two rowes of f orrest-trees at least round
without the wall, the breadth of a large walk, or
rather fifty feet therefrom, with thickets of the same
on the west, north and east, but especially on the
west (yet mind regularity). Also observe my me-
thode of planting and pruning, and ordering their
bulks of six and eight foot diameter. But when the
trees grow old, and their feeding roots f arr abroad,
you cannot reach to feed them with manures in this
narrow compass; therefore enlarge it, or other-
wayes confine them a little sooner, and hinder their
too f arr gauding, by digging a circle round the tree,
perhaps eight foot diameter, and cut all the roots
clean off there that hath not run out, applying fresh
and sweet mould, so shall they emit fibres or feed-
ing roots in thicket, which may be supplied with

131

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

refreshments once in two or three years, as shall
be required. And this cutting the roots will cause
trees that are apt to spend more in wood than fruit,
alter therefrom, and the ends of the roots cut off,
and their butt-ends raised up a little, will serve as
stocks to graff upon.

When you would enrich your worne out planta-
tions, if the ground be poor and dry, add well rotted
manure prepared and mixt with soil: the water that
soaks from a dung-hill is excellent, for it will follow
the roots, and enrich the trees. If the ground be
cold and moist, add pidgeon's manure, or ashes and
soot, which is also excellent, if it be rank with un-
skilful manuring, or by noysome weeds that grow
about such roots (where the owner is a sluggard),
and hatches or nestles, moles, mice, toads, &c.

If you observe the premises, you may prevent
their diseases, such as ill-thriving, &c. but if you
have, or do neglect, and the diseases are be come,
as if cankers or galls be entered, cut them clean out,
covering the wound with a plaister of cow's man-
ure and clay compounded. If the bark be pilled by
hares, conies, or mice, apply a plaister of the same ;
(but better prevent the last three, by swaddling the
trees with straw or hay-ropes, unloosed in summer,

132

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

and renewed every winter, if your fence cannot
guard them). Ill-taken-off branches, and branches
broken or rotten, must be cut off clean and smooth.
If any trees be bark-bound, which is the misery of
many, and especially f orrest-trees, slit them in the
spring through the bark on both sides, with a sharp
knife, from the head to the root, and delve about
them ; otherwayes raise and plant them ebber, if
too deep, which is the common cause of this disease,
together with bad inclosures.

If jaundice affects them, cut off the diseased wood ;
if moss, scrape or singe it off ; but it's in vain to at-
tempt the cure, until you first remove the cause,
which you will find to proceed from some malig-
nity at the roots, whether the disease be bark-bind-
ing, cankers, &c.

And this most commonly happens by ill-planting,
and not inclosing, as amongst clay, water, impene-
trable gravel, &c. Water must be drained, it is
an intolerable evil : cold clayes, or stiff and hard
soil must be trenched and mixed with manures and
soils often stirred and fallowed, as above is directed.
An d if you would have trees to prosper, observe their
nature, and wherein they most delight, and so apply
and keep them accordingly.

133

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

As for destroying of vermin, there are traps for
moles of several forms: besides, you may watch
and delve them up with the spade. And for mice,
you may have traps from Holland, or for want there-
of, pots maybe sunk in the earth (where they haunt)
till their mouths be level with the surface, half full
of water, covered with a little chaff, wherein they
drown themselves; and so do toads, asps, &c. Cast
away the earth where the ants lodge, supplying its
place with stiff clay: place cow-hoofs for the wood-
lice and ear- wigs to lodge in all night, and so scald
them early morning. Pour scalding water in the
nests of wasps, and hang glasses of ail mingled
with honey, where you would not have them fre-
quent.

Dash water on the trees for caterpillars, by the
stroups which we get from Holland. Gather snails
and wormes; shoot crows, pyes, jayes, and spread
nets before your wall-fruit for preservation.

See Part III. how to gather and preserve fruit,
and how to make cyder, &c.

CHAPTER VI

OF FRUITS, HEAKBS, AND BOOTS FOB THE KITCHEN

ALL fruits whereof I spoke in the last chapter, are

134

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

for the kitchen or table, but they grow on trees or
shrubs ; yet there are some which fall in here, the
tenderest whereof are,

Melons, and are not worth the while ; for you
must raise them on the early hot-bed.

Strawberries are a very fine and delicate fruit,
and are easily increased, but best by the small plants
taken from their mother plants at the strings in
August, by which means they will be sufficiently
rooted, so as not to be spued out of the ground by
the frosts in winter. Manure, delve, mix and pre-
pare a light and warme soil ; prune their roots and
tops, and plant them in streight lines, five rowes in
a bed of four feet broad, and suffer them never to
over-run, but keep each stock by themselves, still
taking off all their strings (except at some time
you permit a few for increase). Weed and haw a-
mongthem ; and in September cut them within two
inches of the ground, and lay cow-manure over the
bed, if in a sandy soil, reserving their tops free, cov-
ered with a sprinkling of sand : this will much im-
prove them, so as they will not need renewing for
six or seven years.

Artichocks are a fine and lasting fruit, and are
increased by off -sets chiefly planted in the spring,

135

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

in a fat and well cultured soil, light and warme, en-
riched with sheeps manure ; plant in straight lines,
about three foot distance, having prun'd their root,
and cut their tops within half a foot ; water (if need-
ful) with qualified water, and still cut away their
under and hanging leaves, and haw the weeds as
they begin to peep. When their fruit is spent, cut
them within half a foot of the ground, and delve
and cover the plot over with manure and leitter,
keeping their tops free : in Aprile delve down the
same, and extirpate them of suckers, slipping them
off carefully, leaving two or three at most to each
stock for bearing, and they will flourish nine or ten
years.

Great beans must be planted early in the spring,
as soon as the great frosts are over, in a deep rich
ground, at two foot inter vail, and half a foot in their
rowes ; these for seed when full ripe, cut and bind
in little sheaves, and lay on trees to dry.

Kidnes in Aprile in a light and warme soil ; sup-
port them with sticks.

Peas that you would have early, sow in the full
moon of November, if in a warme place ; but do not
trust too much unto them. Sow in February, and
hence monthly till June, in an open, light, warme,

136

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

dry soil, that you may have them till the frosts sur-
prize them ; and if they lie on the bair ground, they
will sooner ripen by reflection. But if you would
have them fruitful, set sticks amongst them while
young for their tenderals to climb on, and keep
them alwayes clean of weeds. When ripe, you may
easily win some for seed ; but sow not every year
on the same plot ; to change the ground improves
them. I prefer setting them by lines, five rowes in
the bed ; make the holes nimbly by the lines, with
a dibble an inch and a half deep, and two inches dis-
tance from another, or on the same hand fallowing,
and put one in each hole : then give the bed a smooth
with the rake-head, which fills the holes, and covers
the peas : one pound makes more service thus than
three otherwayes ; it's soon performed, and they
spring orderly.

Of sallads and pot-herbes : the choisest sallad is
asparagus ; sow its seeds in March in good ground,
and transplant that time te welv moneths into an ex-
ceeding rich and well mixed soil of rotted manure
and light earth ; taking care that this manure be
six or eight inches below the roots of the asparagus.
You may streatch lines along and cross the beds,
and mark with the edge of the rule ; then gather

137

THE SCOTS GARDENER

little huts of earth at the crossings, whereon you
must spread the roots of your asparagus, two on a
hut ; but do not top their roots. You may perceive
their poynts are like the runners of liquorish; then
cover the sets with the rotted manure and earth,
two inches over, which hasbeenlying ayearin com-
post. They cannot abide wet grounds, and weeds
will quy t destroy them. At the approach of winter
cut their stalks, and cover their beds with leitter
and manure from the stables. The winter r aines will
wash in its substance to their roots. At spring ere
they peep, remove it, and loosen the earth amongst
them with a fork, and cover them near half an inch
with the mould raked and leveled, but do not tread
on them. Follow this direction yearly, and in four
or five years it will be excellent for cutting. Cut
the biggest and tender est, a little within the ground ;
but hurt not those ready to peep. The seed is ripe
when red.

You may have early asparagus, if you plant some
strong roots on your early hot-bed, which about a
moneth hence will spring, and then dy.

Purslain may be sowen on the early hot-bed ; it
cannot endure deep interring ; sow it on a fine mould
like dust, and only clap it a little with the shovell;

138

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

thence on the cold bed, but in fat and fine soil,
through the summer in drills, for convenience of
weeding and cutting ; and if you please, transplant
it when two inches long. Reserve the early sowen
for seed, till their pods grow blackish, then pull and
hang them to dry, and rub out.

As you sow purslain, so lettice by seeds only, at
the same seasons ; but the winter or corn-sallad in
August. They love a fat soil something moist, that
for winter, more dry. Suffer these for seed to run
up, and only cleanse off the under and withered
leaves. It's ripe when it begins to fly with the wind ;
pull it, and lay it on a clothe to perfect, then rub
out on a dry day.

Sow cresses at the same season, and plant.

Tarragon by off-sets in the spring.

The small cherault (chervil) by seeds, as cresses,
as also

Burnet ; but it continues many years, still yield-
ing seed.

Sampier growes at the sea-side in Gallaway, but
not so well in our gardens.

Succory and endive must be sowen by seeds in
June and July and offsets at both springs ; when
they have five leaves, transplant them into a rich
139

THE SCOTS GARDENER

bordure, watering them well until they root; so soon
as they turn bushy or thick of leaves in the middle,
tye them up regularly with matt-strings in dry
weather, watering them well ; and in three weeks
they will be fit for use, by showing you their white
leaves in the middle, twisting out below the tyings.
Lift them up, taking off the green leaves and inner
white leaves, they make a fine sallad. They continue
many years.

Sorrall by off -sets, some also by seed, in the be-
ginning of Aprile, in a good fat soil, a little shade,
six or seven rowes in a bed, weeded all summer, and
cut near the ground in September. In two or three
years replant it in another place, for it soon impairs
the ground of the place appropriate for it.

Spinage by seed only in February and March, but
that sowen in the beginning of August is the most
profitable ; cut it in the beginning of October, and
it will spring afresh, and be ready for spring-stoves;
then reserve some uncut for seed : it prospers well
in a very fat earth, not too dry.

And so do beets, which are also propagated the
same way ; only those sowen at spring are most
serviceable.

Sowbeet-card in the fattest land, and when some-
140

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

thing strong you may transplant : they seed the
next, not that year wherein you sow them.

Order burrage as spinage; it's also an annual: so
bugloss ; but it continues many years.

Marigold may be ordered as burrage, and white
arage (orach) as spinage.

Parsley by seeds in February and March; they
bring forth their seeds next year, whereby they
must be yearly renewed.

Sellery in a light fat soil, eight rowes in a bed, as
parsley; it continues long, yielding seed yearly after
the first; and so doth smallage and alexander : they
may be blanched as succery and endive. Sellery
sowen in March, you may transplante at mid-sum-
mer in a very fat fine earth, half foot deep furrowes,
three foot between the rowes, and four inches in
the rows; and as it growes up, gather the earth at
its sides from the intervals, leaving the top free ;
and still as it growes, earth it up in dry weather, so
shall it be blanched for a winter sallad.

Gar leeks and shallot by off-sets in March, in a light
and fat soil, eight rowes in a bed: I use neither cut-
ting nor twisting their stalks ; but when their fibres
begin to rot in the latter end of August, take them
up, and spread to dry a little, and house them in a

THE SCOTS GARDENER

dry room with board-floor for use, and replant in
September.

Leeks by seed in April, in a fat soil, though some-
thing stiff; in June you may thin them by trans-
plantation ; prune their roots and tops, set them at
three inches distance, and continue to crop them
till October. The French seed is best, ours not worth
the while.

Onyons by seeds in March, in a rich, warme light
mould, well mixt with rotted compost and sifted
pigeons' manure; give them a thin coat or covering
of earth ; sow also in the beginning of July for shi-
bols; it's not worth the pains to win their seed.

Plant off-sets of sives in spring, nine rowes in a
bed, in a rich low ground.

Cole-flower is a line cole ; sow it on the early hot-
bed, (for it's hard to get winter plants through to
purpose) ; sow thin and ebb, and carefully preserve
themf rom colds when young. If you water, imbibe
pigeons manure, but touch not the leaves ther e wi th.
When their leaves are three inches broad, trans-
plant them into a very fat and well mixt soil, at two
foot distance; prune their roots and tops, and if any
worm knots, cut them away ; and in setting keep
their hearts immediately above ground. All along

142

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

keep them clean of weeds, under-hanging and with-
ered leaves, let them not suffer drought while young
and keep snails from them. If the ground and seed
be good, you may expect good heads, which if you
spend not altogether before frost (which spoils
them), take them up in a dry day, and ty them in
pairs to hang in a dry room for use. The best seed
comes from Candia.

There be many cabbages ; sow the savoy, and such
tender sorts,as cole-flowers, albeit not so tender; sow
the great, white and red, in the full moon in July;
plant them f urth in October at three foot distance,
in well-manured ground. Set some also in March :
but then the gar d'ner finds multiplicity of business ;
therefore it's his wisdom to put as much work by
hand as can suffer it, at least to have all his grounds
fallowed before winter. You may hang up your
cabbages in November, as cole-flowers; but plant
some of the best and hardest for seed, up to the neck.
When they shoot, support with stakes and ropes;
when full, cut and lay on a clothe to perfect : but
choice the upright stem in the heart and its branches,
rejecting the lower branches.

Catch snails and worms that gnaw the young
sprouting plants, and set nets for birds at the same

143

THE SCOTS GARDENER

time. The reason why old cole is full of green worms,
is dry poor ground never weeded ; or otherwayes
unqualified manures, and unseasonably applyed.
If they will, trench, mix, &c. as in Chap. II. that their
ground may be clean and sweet, they shall ripen
accordingly.

Common colworts are usually sowen at spring,
planted in summer, and eaten through winter, and
at spring, when other green herbes are scarce ; you
may also so wand set them with cabbages, and reap
their seeds accordingly.

Of sweet herbes : as,

Clary ; raise it by seeds and off-sets in Aprile, at
which time, you may slip and set tansie, sage, cost,
mint, balme, winter-savory, thyme, penniroyall,
wild marjoram, maudlin, fennel, &c. Prune their
fibres, and plant in a garden soil, eight rowes in the
bed : they all continue long, but cutting their tops
in growing time, makes them more durable ; and
cut them all within a handful of the ground in
August, that they may recover against winter. You
may likewayes sow the seed of fennel, thyme,
winter as well as summer-savory, dill, sweet basil,
&c. in Aprile, in a warme well cultured soil, order-
ing them as above ; the three last are annualls. If

144

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

you would have sweet marjoram early, raise it on
the hot-bed: the sweet basil requires the same. Sow
it also the latter end of Aprile in a warme fat soil,
eight rowes in a bed : you may sow it in July, and
transplant when two inches high in a warme bor-
dure at a south wall ; its seed, with that of basill
comes from the hotter countries. Sow rosmary
seed in Aprile or at the same time take its slips or
cuttings, and twist them a little at the ends, and
dibble in good soil, on a south- wall bordure ; but
cut not their tops: they easily root, being watered
in drought with soap-water. You may ply it to the
wall as shrubs.

I am now come to roots. They require a light
earth, deep trenched, fat sand mixt with sheeps'
manure : it's convenient that it be manured a year
before, because new manure makes them f orke.

Plant liquorish off-sets and runners in February
in this soil, well stirred and mixt ; after which do
not tread save in the furrows, six rowes in the bed,
and cover all the intervals with leitter topt with
sand, but let the plants be free ; for this is to keep
out drought the first summer ; keep them alwayes
clean of weeds, and cut their stalks near winter.
Let it stand three summers in the ground, and in

145 10

THE SCOTS GARDENER

November take it up thus ; begin at one side of the
plot, and make a trench the whole deepth of their
roots, taking it out carefully (not breaking it) at
the face of the same, casting the earth still behind
as you proceed ; then cut off the plants, to divide
carefully, and lay them amongst moist sand in a
cellar till setting time. And because it stands three
seasons, you may have three several plantations ;
so shall you have it to take up yearly, if you plant
it accordingly.

Scorzonera by seed and by off -sets, that is, by part-
ing the tops of the root ; sow in the spring, or when
its seed ripes, promiscuously in the beds : it con-
tinues many years in the ground, and growes still
the greater, and is in season at all times for eating,
tho' it run yearly to seed.

Order carvy as scorzonera : its roots are eaten as
parsneeps.

Skirrets by seeds but chiefly by off-sets, not many
in a bundle, in March eight rowes in a bed : when
their stalks begin to wither, fall a spending them ;
and as you break off their roots for use, lay their
tops or sets in ground covered a little till the spring
for planting. (I cautioned you before to change the
crops) ; these you spend not ere the frosts come,

146

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

house hard among very dry sand, that you may
have them when you will, rather than be barred
from them by frosts. These roots which come from
the tops or sets are always so sticky, there is no eat-
ing them ; they love a moist rich soil.

Parsneeps by seed only, sow in March, promiscu-
ously over the bed, but thin ; spend and house them
with skirrets ; and cut quite off their tops, lest they
grow amongst the sand. Reserve some of the best
untaken up for seed, which will ripe the next season ;
choice the middle stem seed.

Beet-rave may be ordered in all cases, as pars-
neeps, save that you may begin sooner to eat them,
viz., as soon as they are bigg enough, tho' they last
as long, besides these you pickle. If in summer they
offer to run to stem and seed, cut down their stems
to the ground, which will make their roots swell;
they delight in a rich clay.

Carrots as beet-rave.

Turneeps by seed in Aprile, May, June and July,
(the first proves not best) promiscuously over the
bed, very thin, and scarcely any covering of earth :
the earliest prove not best. When they rise, thin
them ; late turneeps may be housed as parsneeps,
and seeds reapt accordingly.

147

THE SCOTS GARDENER

Horse radish by off-sets, and lasts long too.

The garden raddish by seed only ; for early ones
you may raise them in the hofcbed cases, hence you
may have every twenty days, with other sallading
through summer, because it quickly shoots for seed.
Sowblackradishin August and September for win-
ter ; these seed next season.

Potatoesbeing cutin as many pieces as you please
provided there be an eye at each piece, must be
planted in March, five rows in a bed ; plant not deep,
neither in wet or stiff ground ; spend them with par s-
neeps, and in housing spread them only through a
broad floor.

See Part I. Chap. IV. for the orderly planting of
kitchen-herbs.

Weeding (I think) may be accompted the most
material part of gard'nery. The learned Evelyn
takes notice of it ; his directions are, " Weed and
haw betimes ; continue weeding before they run to
seed, which is of extraordinary importance both
for saving of charge, improvement of fruit, and the
neat maintaining of the gar dens ; wherefore," sayes
he, " keep your weeds down, that they grow not to
seed, and begin your work of hawing as soon as they
begin almost to peep ; by this means you will dis-

148

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

patch more in a few houres than afterwards in a
whole day ; whereas, if you neglect it till they are
ready to seed, you do but stir and repair the earth
for a more numerous crop, and your ground shall
never be cleared."

And this agrees with what I have written my self,
viz. to destroy weeds while young ; for when they
have growen strong, and got deep rooting, they'll
not only take the nourishment from the good plant,
but there will be such difficulty in grubbing them
out, that the good seed or plant is in danger of being
destroyed ; but if you suffer them to bear and sow
their seeds, then (besides that they exhaust much
more of the substance of the ground) you shall find
the work intolerable, for they'll poyson the whole
ground, insomuch that one year's seeds will cost
many years' weeding ; and therefore prevent these
things by keeping down the weeds ; so shall your
work become easie, and the gardens handsome.

In beds where hawes cannot go, you must weed
with your hands on both sides, sitting in a furrow
on a straw cushion ; pull up the roots cleanly, tak-
ing the help of the weeding-ir on where needful ; but
make use of the haw in all the intervals, drill-beds,
nurseries, f urrowes, tables or pathes, whereby one

149

THE SCOTS GARDENER

will cleanse more than some six by weeding with
their hands ; and if dry weather, they'll wither while
they ly cut, otherwayes rake them in heaps, and
spread again when rotted, or carry them to some
open trench or pit ; and still be visiting your planta-
tions, that as soon as you perceive a weed peep, you
may chalk it.

CHAPTER VII

OF SOME PHYSICK-HERBES, SHRUBS, AND FLOWERS

ALL the herbes in the last chapter are physical ;
therefore having spoken to them already, I have the
less to do here ; however, there are some, as

Garden-rue; I use to en virone sage-beds with rue,
the soil not moist, mixt with ashes, not cinders ;
you may box bordures with it, as well as lavender
or hysop ; which last is also increased by seed ; and
so is golden-rod, fever-few, verven, celandin: they
last many years, and so doth

Wormwoods, comfry, Solomon's-seal, catmint,
callamint, elacampan, masterwort, wall-pelli-
tory, garden-gemander, beatony, camomile, swal-
lowwort, suthernwood, lovag, dwarf -elder, harts-
tongue, maiden-hair, asrum, dropwort, birth wort,
horhund, spignell, agrimony, briony, bears-breach,

150

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

sea-holly, madder, rhuebarb, dog -mercury, all
which are easily increased by off -sets in the spring,
and require to be cut a little above ground at the
beginning of autumne.

Angelica, spurg, scurvy-grass, &c. are annuals, but
yield seed the second year from sowing : you may
sow when ripe, or in the spring ; but, if you prevent
their seeding by cutting, they will last longer.

Blessed -thistle, thorn -aple, tobacco, stinking-
arag, oak of Jerusalem, &c. yielding seed, and dying
the first year ; therefore sow yearly in Aprile. The
Virginia tobacco requires the hot-bed, the rest a
good fat light soil, as doth angelica. You must not
burie stinking-arag deep, sow it as purslain.

There be many more, besides multitudes in the
fields, woods, glens, meado wes, &c. of good use,many
whereof you may bring into the garden, as I have
done. But I forbear as I have given sufficient direc-
tions for the kitchen-garden. I do not approve of
planting the clod with these brought out of the
fields, for it rots and turns sour, and so kills the
plant, albeit you may keep the clod about it till you
come home, but then part it off carefully ; prune
their fibres a little, make the holes with the trowall,
and plant in a co-natural earth to that of their

151

THE SCOTS GARDENER

wonted abode, well stirred and aired, which is an
excellent mean to make all plants prosper, and
therefore dilligently to be observed.

Of shrubs that lose their leaves in winter, the
choicest whereof are,

Roses of many sorts ; they are increased by suckers
and layers. The musk may be budded on the
eglantin, and set at a wall. The double-yellow
bears fairest flowers; you may bud the single-yellow
onaFrankfort,and re-bud the double-yellow there-
on (I have often done it immediately on the single),
planted as a standard, shaded in summer, and kept
clean of suckers and superfluous buds ; and any that
blow not freely, may be slit at the five divisions of
the hose.

Prune your roses after the flower is past, viz.
before the full moon in October ; cut behind a leaf-
bud, and cleanse them of dead wood ; and if you
desire fair flowers, suffer but one stem on a root,
and keep it low, and every fifth year cut them down
to the ground, renewing their earth with old cow-
manure.

Jasmines, honisuckles, pipe-trees, &c. are pro-
pagated by suckers, layers, and cuttings.

Mezerion by seed, as hawthorn ; they ly as long.
152

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

Of shrubs that are ever-green, there is box, sa vine,
arbor- vitse, tamarisk, privete,&c.,by suckers, layers,
and cuttings, in Aprile : a shade, and moist fat soil
are necessary for them, till rooted.

The cherrie-bay is an excellent green, and not very
apt to blast, there is also laurustinus, philyrea,
alaternus (I love not pyracantha), juniper ; (I care
not for ever-green oak and cypress). They are all
raised by seeds, and must be couched in sand before
winter, and sowen in Aprile to rise that season,
except the juniper, which lyes till the next : trans-
plantthem the second year after they rise in Aprile;
remove by a trowal, with earth at their roots, toping
such roots as appear, without the clod, and lessen
the head by thinning it. See what I have spoken
about holly, for the same rules may be observed for
these to be spread on walls ; but save the tops of
standards : they all do well by suckers and layers
also, except cypress and juniper. Be careful to
defend your seedling greens, while young, from
spring blastings ; yet do not choak them for want
of good air.

The pine, cypress, and ever-green oak (the last in
especial), will scarce endure a removal from the
seminary ; therefore sow them in drills, two foot

153

THE SCOTS GARDENER

interval one way, and half a foot the other; and the
next year after they rise, make a spade-bit trench
between the rowes, and work it cautiously, till you
discover the running down root at one side, which
you must top, with the pruning knife, and level in
the earth as it was. Cut off some side boughes, and
thin the head ; let them remain two years, then
remove and plant them, as is instructed.

Greens that are best worthy our esteem, are Scots-
firr for standards, holly for hedges, the cherrie-bay
for north aspect walls, or barren creeping ivy, which
will neither blast nor seek supporting.

There is strawberrie tree, and tree-nightshade,
which are tender. But

Indian and Spanish- jasmines, mirtles, oleanders,
and orenge-trees are yet tenderer ; wherefore, I am
not very curious of them ; yet there are severals
in this countrey who have them, and are at great
pains in governing them, by setting them in cases,
with small stones, at the bottome filled with earth,
as those mentioned for fine plants in Chap. II.
Housing them in winter, between the latter end of
September and beginning of May, giving them fresh
earth as they retire, and expose them, i.e. take out
the upper exhausted earth, stirring that below with

154

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

a fork (not wounding the roots) and put in its place
some rich and well consum'd soil, watering on all
occasions with water wherein neat's-manure is
steeped, not touching the leaves or stem therewith,
whereof be sparing while they remain in the house,
except after long frosts, in whose extremity is used
a little charcoal, free of smoak, sunk a little in the
floor ; and in warme dayes, free of frosts and fogs,
acquaint them with the air, but shut them close up
at night again ; and, when you may venture, expose
them to the free air ; yet even then set them a week
in the shade, having first brushed them from dust,
&c. For my part, I had rather be in the woods, parks,
orchards, kitchen-garden, or fields, measuring,
planting, and improving the ground to the best ad-
vantage. However, I will here take a little turne
among the flowers.

Of fibrous rooted flowers,

July-flowers are the best, and are increased by
off-sets, layers, slips and seeds. A light loamy
earth well mixt with rotted soil of cows and sheep
a year before-hand is most proper for them.

Albeit I have raised many double, by seed of my
own reaping, yet the surest way to preserve the best,
is by laying, because seedlings are apt to dy after

155

THE SCOTS GARDENER

they have borne a flower. Plant out your layers at
spring, and give these in pots fresh earth, as the
orenge-tree, and yearly cleanse the old roots of
withered, dead, and rotten leaves, and leave not
above three or four spindles for flower (if choice)
and nip off superfluous buds, lest they blow and
bear themselves to death ; andif any burst, slit them
as I directed with the double-yellow rose. At mid-
summer, shade from afternoon's sun a little; these
that blow support them against winds ; set hoofs
among them for catching earwigs, their enemies ;
water well in drought, sparing their leaves; pre-
serve the choicest from too much raines, by laying
the pots on their sides ; strick off the snow when it
lyes too weightie on them; these you incline not to
bear seed, cut their stalks as soon as past the flower.

Raise stock-gelly-flowers by seeds or cuttings ;
the seed of the single will produce double, but the
more flowers and leaves the mother hath, the more
double shall the product be: sow and plant them
with carnations or July-flowers ; they affect the
same soil with them.

Prim-roses, cowslips, and bears-ears, by off-sets
in spring, or when the flower is past, viz. in July;
they affect a good natural earth, well mixt with

156

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

rotten neat's-manure : the finer sorts love a little
shade in summer. If in pots or cases, you may trans-
port them to such at pleasure.

Great varieties may be raised from seeds sowen
in pots, the soil as aforesaid,mixtwith willow earth
in October ; take heed of deep interring bears-ears,
sow them as purslain ; set the pots and cases with
them at the south side of a wall till Aprile,at which
time they spring, and must be now retired a little
as is said; transplant in July to flower next spring,
and neglect not to earth up such as are apt to work
. out of ground, namely bears-ears.

There are many others, as,

Noble liverwort, spring gentianella, virgines-
bo wrs, etc, and are increased by off-sets in the spring,
or by seeds at the same time ; as also columbins,
holihocks, cransbill, campions and Constantinople
flowers, catch flyes, pinks and sweet-williams,
throat- worts and bell-flowers, &c. or daisies, violets,
spidder-worts, double marsh mary-gold, may be
raised by off-sets, any time when springing.

Of bulbous and tuberous roots, there are,

Tulipas of great varieties ; increase them by off-
sets when their stalks wither, which is generally
about June, July, or August; this is also the season

157

THE SCOTS GARDENER

for other bulbous and tuberous roots ; keep them in
a cool, but dry place, till September or October, and
then plant them in a light sandy earth, with fat
soil, two or three inches below the bulb, so that the
fibres of the bulbs may reach it : remove every three
years, and of tener if they affect not the soil : they
may be raised from seed, but it's tedious.

Anemonies, the very same as tulips, except that
they require a rich earth mixt with rotten manure,
so that it be not rank.

Apply this also to ranunculuses of the finest sorts.

Cyclamin roots may be carefully parted in July,
and set in the soil fit for tulips.

Crocuses and colchicums as tulips ; but they re-
quire a mixt, rich, light soil : and so with

Irish bulboses, which love a dry, rich bed ; and so
with narcissuses, ornithogalums, jacenths, hesons,
aconites, hellibors, &c.

Likewayes Irish-tuberosus, crown-imperial, and
lilias of several sorts, peonies, cynosorches, &c.

Indian-tuberose is tender. See Esq. Evelyn's kal-
endar.

There are many annuals may be sowen in pots,
and plunged in hot-beds, and some under glass
covers ; especially these sowen in autumn, as,

158

THE CULTURE OF PLANTS

Amaranthus, marvel of Peru, flos Africanus, con-
volvulus, &c. In Aprile you may sow them on the
cold bed, if good, fat, warme earth, together with
double mary-gold, cyanus, nigella, delphinium, an-
tirrhinum, double garden and corne-poppies, fox-
gloves, flos solis, flos-adonis, &c.

But if you would be further satisfied in the
varieties of flowers, consult the learned and most
ingenious Mr James Sutherland's Catalogue, physic
gard'ner at Edinburgh.

I spoke before of preserving plants by housing.
There are some that cannot endure the house, which
must be set at the south-wall, the pots sunk two
inches below the surface, covered with glass, first
clothing them with sweet and dry moss : or in pre-
pared boxed beds, with folding glass-frames to lift
up and down at pleasure ; because in all season-
able warme blinks of the sun and showres, they
may be discovered of all that covers them; thus treat
choice ranunculus, anemonies, amaranthus, &c.
Neglect not to repair their earth, as in the orenge
tree.

Plants standing dry in winter, earthed up, or the
earth made firme about them, are good means
of preservation. Neglect not to cleanse all your

159

THE SCOTS GARDENER

plants of under and withered leaves, superfluous
off-sets, &c.

I hope the reader will excuse me for this brevity,
seeing each chapter herein would merit a book ;
neither will leisure permit me at present to enlarge.

AN APPENDIX

SHEWING

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF
THE GARDEN

11

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN
THIS necessarily depends upon the fifth and sixth
chapters of Part II. of fruits and herbes eatable.

Gather aples and pears when full ripe, especially
those for keeping, or for cyder, in a dry day, clear,
but not f rostie, in large baskets, lin'd with straw-
mats, upon three footed or standing ladders; at least
lay straw under, if you shake them, and suffer not
too many at once therein.

Gather apricocks, peaches, plumes, cherries, with
your hands into clean baskets, when full ripe,
whether for eating green, preserving in sugar, &c.
drying, or for wines ; as also currans, barberries,
rasberries, goosberries. The cucumbers for pick-
ling must be small, i.e. ere their seeds grow firme ;
and goosberries for baking, boyling, and sauces.

Pull artichocks ere they grow too hard ; let these
for pickling be the tenderest. Let the purslain for
pickling be hard and old, lay it a day or two in the
sun to mortifie ; that which you eat green must be
tender. Eat beans and peas green, but do not slice
down the beans, nor break the peas' stalks, else
those left thereon cannot fill. You may cut off the
beans with a knife ; and for the peas, hold with the
one hand, and pull with the other.

Gather asparagus when tender, i.e. about three,
163

THE SCOTS GARDENER

four, or five inches high. Lettice when young ; but
it's best cabbaged. Succory, endive, sellery, blan-
ched. Cresses, parsly, chervil, burnet, when young
and tender. Sorrall, spinage, beets, before they
shoot for seed ; and so are arage, marygold, bugloss,
burrage, shallot, and onions when their stalks
wither, tho'shibols are eaten green. Leeks anytime
before they shoot to seed. Coleflowers when firme
and white, ere they spoil ; and so cabbage when
hard. Sweet herbes any time, either green or dryed;
but gather them in their prime, when they are in
flower, for drying.

Liquorish is no dish but drink, see Part II. Chap.
VI. where you will also find the season of scor-
zonera, beetrave, carrot, turneep,skirret,parsneep,
potatoes, &c.

Besides what is said above of planting and sow-
ing at spring, summer, and harvest ; (for some have
a longer continuance) as also of raising some early er
than naturally, by means of hot-beds, and what I
might say of retarding others by transplantations,
&c., there be wayes of preserving them out of the
garden.

Aples and pears may be carryed into the conser-
vatory or store-house, in large baskets between two

164

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN

men, which must be a close, but cleanly and whole-
some room, floored, lyned, and siled with boards,
and shelves, of the same all round ; let them sweat
a little on the floor, with clean oat-straw under
them ; then dry and lay them aple-thick on the
shelves, opening the north windows, in fair, clear
windy dayes, especially at first, that the air may
dry up the superfluous moisture ; turne them some-
times, and in frosts cover them with mats, and shut
closs the house ; some of the choicest you may wrap
in dry papers singly, and often visit, that you may
remove any that begin to rot, for they quickly infect
the rest.

The way of preserving cherries, plums, &c. in
wine, cyder, hony , or sugar is easie ; as also of drying
them in the oven.

And you may pickle barberries in vinegar and salt
well dryed, and sugar; to each pound and half of
fruit, a pound of salt cold, and one quarter of a pound
of sugar, beaten to powder ; put them by layings in
a well glazed ear then-pot, and when they have stood
a whole week well-stopt, pour in a mutchken of
vinegar to each pound of fruit: if you find the sawces
too sharp, put as much sugar as salt.

Range cucumbers the same way, and strew salt
165

THE SCOTS GARDENER

and vinegar till they be all covered, and you may
add a little dill and sweet-bay leaves for odour, and
cover them closs forty days unbroken; then pare
when you serve them up.

For artichocks, dissolve two large handfuls of
great salt (that is, dryed on the fire in a pan) in one
mutchken of vinegar, and three of fair water; mix
them while the salt is yet hot, but put not the liquor
on the fire; boyl the artichocks till the leaves come
off easily, and while the cleansed stools are yet
warme, you may have three nut-megs, three drops of
cloves, one dram and half of mace, a quarter of an
ounce of white pepper, half an ounce of cinnamon
beaten to fine powder, and strew upon them; then
pack them in the pot, with five or six spoonfuls of
the liquor on each stratum; when all are potted,
poure on the rest of the pickle, and stop close.

To pickle them green, put to every pound of
cleansed stools an ounce of salt dryed, and a quarter
of an ounce of spices last nam'd, mixt in a mortar ;
and having dawbed the stools full of holes, throw
the powder thereon when the pot is full ; melt as
much butter as covers them over two inches, and
when cold, cover close with leather.

To pickle beet-raves, boyl and put them in glazed
166

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN

pots, with whole pepper and as much vinegar as
covers them all over, stopping them close.

Asparagus maybe parboyled and pickled as arti-
chocks, and so may green peas with cods.

Purslainas cucumbers; and so may taragon,sam-
peir, broom-buds, &c.

Lettice, endive, sellery, &c. by blanching and
ranging among sand in cellars. Cabbage by hanging.
Roots by housing, sanding, &c. as is shewed in
Chap. VI. Sweet herbes as well as physical, by
hanging to dry in some open room, not in the sun,
as some advise.

Put marygold-flowers in paper-bags near the
chimney, till they pass hazard of mouldiness ; do
just so with true saffron: but because fewknowhow
to order it, observe to part its off-sets, and plant
with other bulbs at half a foot distance in the beds
or bordures in July; it flowers in September; then
be careful to go through in the mornings, and gather
the saffron, viz. the thrums that are in the middle
of the flowers: it bears not well till the third, fourth
and fifth year, then you must remove it. But to the
matter in hand.

As for the use of these fruits, the physicians know
their medicinalls, the cook their ordering in the

167

THE SCOTS GARDENER

kitchen, and the gard'ner how to propagate and
improve them. For description, and medicinal uses,
see our countreyman Doctor Morison's herbal; and
for mechanical uses, Evelyn's works.

To have dishes and drinks of them, observe what
followes.

Of dishes, as of aples, you may have baked without
any ingredients save sugar, roasted alone, also
boyled,or fried by shavers, with a little fresh butter,
stew'd betwixt two plates : having cleaved and taken
out their cors, add a little sweet butter and sugar.

Of pears, you may have them roasted and boyled
as aples ; also stoved, being cut in f ower, and put
dry in a stoup or oven of white iron, and so set in
the pot among water to boyl ; you may have both
aples and pears green with cheise.

Cherries are excellent when baked, and so goos-
berries ; apricocks, peaches, plumes, cherries, cur-
rans, goosberries, rasberries, are all excellent dishes,
green or conserved. Strawberries with red wine
or sweet cream.

Cucumbers pickled for sallad to roasted mutton ;
or, if ripe, slice and lay them an hour in salt, and so
powr off their water. Artichocks are either pickled
or fresh, boyled and eaten with sweet beaten butter.

168

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN

Beans and peas boyled with savory and thym-
f agot, served up with sweet butter beat amongst
them, and set on a coal or chaffing.

Boy 1 asparagus in fair water, and serve it up with
a little sweet butter, beat, i.e. tumbled in the sawse-
pan above the coal. The young shoots of colworts
will serve the same way.

Purslain may be eaten green with sugar, and
vinegar or oyl, stew'd with meat, besides pickled.

Lettice, green as purslain; and so cresses, chervil,
burnet, burrage-flowers, and wood-sorrall.

Spinage is an excellent stove, being boyled with
lamb or veall, with a little sorrall therein, as also
chopped dishes thereof with butter.

The same way use beets ; also make green broth
of them with leeks, fagot of thyme, and parsley.
In some stoves and broths you may put arage,
marygold leaves, violet leaves, strawberrie leaves,
bugloss, burrage and endive. In pottage put juice
of sorrall, fagot of thime, and parsley; and in most
of broths.

In the sawce or gravy of rost-mutton and capon,
and in all stewed dishes, bruise shallot, or rub the
dishes therewith.

You may stove leeks with a cock. Onions may
169

THE SCOTS GARDENER

be baked with a little butter if you want meat ; also
make use of them with roast-meat, especially geese,
and tomostfreshfishesinwhichparsley and thyme-
fagot is mainly used.

Boyl coleflowers in water mixt with a little milk;
then po writ off, and mix in the stew-pan with sweet
butter seasoned with salt, and so serve them up
about boyled mutton.

Boyl cabbage with beef, reserving the top of the
pot to powr (when dished up) about the beef.

Boyl scorzonera,peale off its brown rind, wherein
consists its bitterness ; slice and fry it with butter.

When skirrets are boyld and pealed, roll them in
flowre, and fry them with butter.

Boyl and peel parsneeps, chop and bruise them
well, powre on butter, and set them on a coal,
and, if you please, strew a little cinnamon upon
them.

Carrots are so used, or only dished by shavers.

Beetraves are good when boyld, pealed, shaved,
and when cold served up with vinegar and sugar,
besides those pickled.

Beetraves, parsneeps, carrots, are very good
served up whole, or sliced about meat, also turneeps,
with fat broth poured thereon.

170

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN

Potatoes as parsneeps; or, for want of butter,
take sweet milk.

Of drinks, as of aples to make cyder ; I cannot
name our cyder-aples, for I use to mix all the ripe
at once in the orchard, that are of a fine juice, and
easie to separate from the flesh, and pears that
have plenty of juice, and hard flesh, though harsh.

In France they extol the rennet cyder, in Eng-
land the Heref ord-redstrake (which in France they
set at nought) ; they speak of genetmoil and musts,
some pipens and parmains; and for perry, the
Bromsbury and ruddy horse-pear, all which and
many more Hugh Wood gard'ner at Hamiltone has
to sel. But now the different soils beget alterations
in fruits, besides the climate ; yet both defects may be
a little helped, the first by using all dilligence to pre-
pare the ground thoroughly, as is directed in Chap.
II. Fallowing is a most commendable essay. The
second by grafting and regraffing early. Goodf ences
and shelter round the ground are very conducible.

To make this excellent wine, provide trough and
beaters, press and harbag, lagallon, and tapering-
fat, barrels and hogsheads (for even by the common
screw press I have made a hogshead of cyder in a
day). Be sure your vessels be sweet, else you spoil

171

THE SCOTS GARDENER

all : white-wine, sack-cask, or such as keept cyder
before. I have heard of cyder-casks three inches
thick in the staves, which I believe is of great ad-
vantage in preserving the liquor ; but if any be
tainted, put a little unslaked lyme-stone, and a
little water in the barrel, and stop it close ; when
it has stood a little while and jumbled, pour out and
wash clean ; that will cure.

The fruit being gathered ripe, as before, let them
ly ten or twelve dayes, if summer-fruit ; and near
the double of that time, if winter-sorts ; but late
ripe fruit that get frosts is not good cyder : mix not
with unripe ones, neither suffer leaves nor stalks
among them. When they are small beat, put them
in the harbag within the press-fat, and so screw
them hard again and again ; then emptie it there-
of and put in more, and do so as before : empty the
receiver into the tapering-fat, and then cover it
close with a canvass till the morrow at that time,
before you tun it, that the gross lee may fall to the
bottom ; then draw it off at a tap three inches from
the bottom, leaving the dreg behind (the which
may go among the pressings for water-cyder). The
clearer you tun it into the barrels, the less it fer-
ments, and that's the best cyder ; for often cyder

172

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN

spends its strength to free it self of the grosser
parts ; therefore, while your cyder ferments, leave
the vent-pin loose, but keep close the bung for pre-
serving the prodigall waste of its spirit ; and as
soon as the working begins to allay, drive the vent-
pin dead to ; and this will be perhaps in a fortnight,
if it begins to work immediately ; sometimes not
till the spring. But keep fast the pin till it begins
to work ; and that you mind to bottle of it, do it
as soon as fully clear and fine, which is ordinarily
at spring. Put a plumb great of fine white loaf-
sugar in each bottle; and above all, make your
corks fast and close, then set your bottles in. the
cellar amongst sand.

To make the water-cyder, put a third as much
water upon the new-pressed marce, to stand covered
in tubs four or five dayes ; then press them, and
boyl the liquor, scumming it till the scum cease to
rise fast ; then take it off (for too much boyling
wasteth its spirits) and put it in tubs or coolers,
and when cold tun it up. When done working
(which will not be so violent as best cyder), make
the pin fast, and in a short time it's for drinking.
A little ginger, cloves, juniper-berries, or such may
be boy led in it, if they please your taste.

173

THE SCOTS GARDENER

The making of perry differs not from that of
cyder.

To make cherrie-wine, to every pound of ripe
fruit stampt, put a chopin of spring-water, and a
quarter of a pound of fine white sugar : boyl the
water and sugar, scum it, and put in the juice of
your cherries ; let it boyl up again, take it off the
fire, run it through a hair-sive, and when 'tis
thoroughly cold, put in a stone-pot, and after six
or seven dayes, draw it into bottles, putting a bit of
loaf-sugar in each ; in a quarter of a year you may
falla-drinking: itwillkeepayear. If you would have
it stronger, then use no more water than sugar.

After the same manner you may make wine of
rasps, currans, goosberries. Or,

Take currans very ripe, bruise and strain them,
and to every pint of the juice put a pound and a
quarter of sugar into a stone or earthen-pot, scum
it often, and at a week's end draw it off, and take
out the settlings, and put in the liquor again ; do
this till it be fine, then bottle it ; and at a week's
end, if it be not fine in the bottles, shift it into other
bottles.

Gather your goosberries ere they be too ripe,
and for every three pound of stampt fruit, use a

174

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN
chopin of water, and a pound of sugar; steep them
twenty four houres, then strain them; put the
liquor into a vessel close stopt a fortnight or three
weeks ; then draw it off if you find it fine, other-
wayes suffer it longer ; and if not yet fine, rak it.

It's usuall to make it thus unboyled, because it
contracts a brown colour in boyling.

To every pint of rasps add a pound of sugar ; let
them stand two dayes in an earthen-pot, often stir-
ring and bruising them : then put them in a woolen
bag to hang up twenty four houres or more, till the
liquor drop out into a stone-pot ; suffer it there
till fermented and scum'd, and at a week's end (or
sooner if fine) bottle it, and at another week's end
shift it into fresh bottles, that you may leave the
settlings behind ; thus shift them so long as you
see any settlement, which you may put in a bottle
by itself.

Of some sorts of plumes, as damasons, &c. may
be made wine.

That called cherrie-brandy, is a bottle half full of
geens, filled up with brandie, sometimes jumbled a
little, and in a moneth's time is fit for drinking: or
if you put the like quantity of goosberries instead of
cherries, that will make the brandie very delicious.

175

THE SCOTS GARDENER

The cherries best for wine, are blackheart, and
morella. I think the red geen most excellent.

Of goosberries the great crystal, and of currans
the great Dutch-red, also the red rasp are the
best.

To have ail of liquorish, slice it very small, and
powr water on it when at boyl ; then cover it close
till next day ; powr off this wort, and more hot
water on to stand so long as to search it thoroughly;
add your worts together, and boyl them with a little
dry worm-wood, or Carduus benedictus : but the
greatest difficulty is to barme it when cold, as wort
of malt : yet the stronger you make it, the easier
it will take. Or if you have the conveniency of
settlings of good wort of malt to boyl with it, that
will facilitate the work.

To have good metheglin,take one part of clarified
hony, and eight parts of pure water, and boyl well
together in a copper vessel till the consumption of
one half ; but while it boyls, take off the scum, and
when done boyling, and it begins to cool, tun it up,
and it will work of it self; as soon as done working,
stop it very close. Some advise to bury it under
ground three moneths, and that to make it lose
both smell and taste of hony and wax, and taste

176

HOW TO USE THE FRUITS OF THE GARDEN
very like wine. I use to add dry rosmary and sweet
marjoram in boy ling : some barme it as ail, which I
have practised effectually.

To know what fruits and herbes to make choise
of for our plantations :

The French fruit succeeds not well with us ; in
England are good aples ; but Holland excels for
stone-fruit, especially peaches and cherries, and
Scotland for pears.

The best aple for the table, is the golden pepin ;
we have also rennets, russets, &c. very good. And
for the kitchen the codling, Lidingtown and Rubies,
with hundreds for both.

But the best pears for the table are English ber-
gamot, swan-egg, red-pear, achans,&c. The wardens
are good keepers and kitchen-fruit, and multitudes
more.

Of cherries, the Kentish and morella, &c.

Of plumes, primordials, mussel, imperial, &c.

The common and orenge apricocks, the Newing-
ton and nutmeg peaches. (Peaches bear better with
us than apricocks).

The Portugall quince, and thin-shell'd walnut.

Of goosberries, great white, great red, and great
yellow.

177 12

THE SCOTS GARDENER

Of currans, the great red-Dutch, the white-Dutch,
the great black.

Of rasps, both white and red.

The great red strawberrie, and the Virginian,
which is more early.

Of artichocks, the great green and the red.

Great white beans, and white-kidnees ; of peas,
barnees, hotspures, hasties, and the sickle-peas, &c.

If you can get Hordium nudum, i.e. naked barley,
and sow as I directed with peas,it yields an incredible
increase.

The Dutch asparagus and cabbage lettice. The
sorrall that usually shoots, not for stoves, &c. The
white beet, and smooth spinage. Curled parsley
and cresses, shallot and roccumbol, French leeks,
and Straws-burgh onions.

Candy coleflower, and our own great Scots white
cabbage.

Crisp tansie, and curled spearmint, sweet fennel,
and common rosmary, sweet marjoram, and red
sage.

The black scorzorena and orenge carrot: the
small round smooth turneep ; smooth Dutch pars-
neep, and small radish, clear as chrystall.

178

THE CONCLUSION

PROPOSING SCOTLAND'S IMPROVEMENT
THERE is no way under the sun so probable for
improving our land as inclosing and planting the
same. Therefore I wish it were effectually put in
practice.

FINIS

THE

GARD'NERS KALENDAR

SHEWING THE MOST SEASONABLE TIMES
FOR PERFORMING HIS

HORTULAN AFFAIRS

MONTHLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR I

A CATALOGUE OF SUCH DISHES AND
DRINKS AS A COMPLEAT GARDEN
CAN AFFORD IN THEIR SEASONS

BY JOHN REID, GARD'NER

Reader,

As in this little kalendar thou wilt find when; so in
my book (intituled The Scots Gard'ner) thou wilt
find how, to perform the particulars. The gardners
year is a circle as their labour, never at an end.
Nevertheless their terme is.

THE GARDENERS KALENDAR

NOVEMBER

Contrive or f orcast where, and what you are to
sow and plant. Trench and fallow all your vacant
grounds. Prepare and mix soils and composts
thoroughly; miss not high- way earth, cleanings of
streets; make compositions of manures, soils, and
lyme.

Lay bair roots of trees that need, and manure
such as require it. Plant all fruit-trees, forrest- trees,
and shrubs that lose the leaf, also prune such. Plant
cabbage, sow hasties for early peas in warme
grounds, but trust not to them.

Gather the seeds of holly, yew, ash, &c., ordering
them as in Chap. III. Furnish your nurseries with
stocks.

Shelter tender evergreen seedlings. House your
cabbage, carrots, turneeps : and at any time ere hard
frosts house your skirrets, potatoes, parsneeps, &c.
Cover asparagus, artichocks, as in the last moneth.
Sow bairs-ears, plant tulips, &c. Shut the con-
servatory. Preserve your choisest flowers. Sweep
and cleanse the walks of leaves, &c. Stop your bees
close so that you leave breathing vents.

183

THE SCOTS GARDENER

Garden Dishes and Drinks in season, are
cabbage, coleflower, onions, leeks, shallot, &c.
Blanched sellery, succory, pickled asparagus, pur-
slain, &c. French parsneeps, skirrets, potatoes,
carrots, turneeps, beet-rave, scorzonera, parsley
and f ennell roots, aples, pears, &c.

Cyder, perry, wine of cherries, rasps, currans,
goosberries, liquorish, hony, &c.

DECEMBER

Trench and prepare grounds. Gather together
composts; plant trees in nurseries, and sow their
seeds that endure it.

Gather firr seed, holly berries, &c. Take up liquor-
ish. Continue your care in preserving choice carna-
tions, anemonies, and ranunculuses from raines and
frosts. And keep the green-house close against the
piercing colds. Turne and refresh your fruit in a
clear serene day. Sharpen and mend tools. Gather
oziers and hassell rods and make baskets in stormy
weather. Cover your water pipes with leitter lest
the frosts do crak them ; feed weak bees.

Garden Dishes and Drinks in Season
Colworts, leeks, &c., housed cabbage, onions,
184

THE GARDENERS KALENDAR

shallot. Several dryed sweet herbes. Housed pars-
neeps, turneeps, skirrets, carrots, potatoes, beet-
rave, scorzonera ; parsley and fennel roots. Pickled
cucumbers, barberries, artichocks, asparagus, pur-
slain, &c.

Housed aples, pears. Conserved cherries, plumes,
peaches, apricocks, &c.

Wine of aples, pears,cherries, liquorish, honey, &c.

JANUARY

Prepare the grounds, soils and manures. Fell
trees for mechanical uses. Prune firrs, plant haw-
thorn hedges, and all trees and shrubs that lose the
leaf if open weather. Also prune the more hardie
and old-planted. Manure the roots of trees that
need. Drain excessive moisture; gather graffs ere
they sprout, and near the end graff. Begin with the
stone fruits. Gather holly berries, firr husks, &c.
Secure choice plants as yet from cold and wet, and
earth up such as the frosts uncovered.

Feed weak bees, also you may remove them.

Garden Dishes and Drinks in Season

Colworts, leeks, &c. Dry sweet herbes, housed
cabbage, onions, shallot, parsneeps, skirrets, pota-

185

THE SCOTS GARD'NER

toes, carrots, turneeps, beet-rave, scorzonera, pars-
ley and fennel roots in broth.

Pickled artichocks, beet-raves, &c. Housed aples,
pears, and other conserved fruits.

Cyder and other wines as before.

FEBRUARY

Plant any trees or shrubs that lose the leaf, also
lay such for increase; see June. Likewayes sow all
your seeds, kyes, kirnells, nuts, stones; also the seeds
of several greens, as holly, yew, philyrea, laurells,
&c. Prune firrs, &c.

Continue to destroy vermine.

Grafting is now in season, see the last moneth.

Prune all trees and shrubs except tender greens.
Nail and dress them at the wall. Cover the roots of
trees layed bair the fore-end of winter, if any be.
Plant hawthorn hedges, willows, &c.

Plant liquorish, potatoes, peas, beans, cabbage,
sow parsley, beets, spinage, marygold, and other
hardie pot-herbes.

Let carnations and such sheltered flowers get air
in mild weather. But keep close the green-house.

Now you may remove bees and feed weak stocks.

186

THE GARDENERS KALENDAR

Garden Dishes, <&c.

Cole, leiks, sweet herbes, onions, shallot, housed
cabbage, skirrets, turneeps, parsneeps, potatoes,
beet-rave, scorzonera, carrots, besides parsley and
fennel roots.

Pickled beet-rave, artichock, cucumber; housed
aples, pears, and other conserved fruits with cyder
and other wines and drinks, as above.

MARCH

Re-delve, mix, and rake your ground for imme-
diate use. Delve about the roots of all your trees.
Yet plant trees and rather greens. Also prune such
except resinous. Propagate by laying, circum-
position, and especially by cuttings. Sow the seeds
of most trees and hardie greens. Cover those trees
whose roots lay bair and delve down the manures
that lay about your young trees all winter, cover ing
on leitter again topt with earth to prevent drought
in summer : this is a material observation and more
especially for such as are late planted. Slit the
bark of ill- thriving trees. Fell such as grow croked
in the nurserie. Graffing is yet in season (but too
late for stone fruit), cut off the heads of them in-
oculated.

187

THE SCOTS GARDENER

Set peas, beans, cabbage, asparagus, liquorish.
Sow parsley, beets, endive, succory, bugloss, burr-
age, sellery, fennell, marigold. Plant shallot, gar-
leeks, potatoes, skirr ets. Sow onions, lettice, cresses,
parsneep, beet-rave, radish, &c. And on the hot-
bed coleflower, and if you please, cucumber, &c.

Slip and set physick herbes, July-flowers, and
other fibrous-rooted flowers. Be careful of the
tender plants ; the piercing colds are now on foot.
Turne your fruit in the room but open not yet the
windows.

Catch moles, mice, snails, worms, destroy frogs'
spawn, &c.

Half open passages for bees, they begin to flit ;
keep them close night and morning : yet you may
remove them.

Garden Dishes, &c.

Both green and housed herbes and roots : also
pickled, housed, and conserved fruits, with their
wines as in the former months.

APRILS

Plant holly hedges and hawthorn too, if not too
f oreward. Ply and sheer hedges. Nail and prune

188

THE GARDENERS KALENDAR

wall-trees, &c. Sow and plant firrs, and other
greens. Slip and set sage, rosemary, thym, rue,
savory, and all fibrous rooted herbes and flowers
Uncover and dress strawberries. Plant artichocks,
slip them and delve their plottes. Set cabbages,
beans, peas, kidnees. Sow asparagus, parsley, beets,
and beet-card. Set garleeks, shallot, potatoes,
skirrets, sorral. Sow onions, leeks, lettice, cresses,
radish, orach, scorzonera, carvy, fennel, &c. And
on the hot-bed, cucumbers, coleflowers, purslain,
sweet mar jorum, basill, summer savory, tobaco,&c.

Set strawberries, violets, July-flowers, &c. Also
sow the seeds of July-flowers, &c. Sow all your
annuall flowers and rare plants, some requiring
the hot-bed. Lay, beat, and roll gravel and grass.
Fall to your mowing and weeding.

Destroy moles, mice, worms, and snails.

Open the doors off your bee-hives, now they
hatch.

Garden Dishes, (Sec.

Onions, leeks, colworts, beets, parsley, and other
herbes : spinage, sorral, scorzonera ; green aspara-
gus, lettice, and other sallads. Pickled artichocks,
beet-rave, barberries, cucumbers.

Housed aples and pears, conserved cherries,
189

THE SCOTS GARDENER

plumes, peaches, apricocks, goosberries, currans.
Also wines of aples, pears, cherries, liquorish,
hony, &c.

MAY

Pull up suckers and haw about the trees. Rub off
unnecessary buds. Sheer or clip hedges. Prune
tender greens (not the resinous), bring furth the
housed ones refreshing and trimming them. Plant
all sorts of medicinal herbes. Sow all sweet ones
which are tender.

Gather snails, worms, and catch moles.

Sow lettice, cresses, purslain, turneep, radish,
peas, &c. Continue weeding and watering.

Near the end watch the bees ready to swarm.

Garden Dishes and Drinks in Season
Coleworts and other herbes, (being eaten with
contentement are better than a fatted ox without
it), sage (with butter), leeks, parsley, thyme, mar-
jorum, sorrall, spinage, &c. Scorzonera, asparagus,
lettice, purslain, and other sallades and pot-herbes.
Pickled artichocks, barberries, beet-rave, cucum-
bers, housed aples and pears for many uses. Early
cherries, strawberries, near the end.
Cyder, metheglin, liquorish ail, &c.
190

THE GARD'NERS KALENDAR

JUNE

Cleanse about the roots of trees, suckers, and
weeds ; water their covered bulks, especially the
new planted.

Fell the long small ill-train'd f orrest-trees in the
nurserie, within half a foot of the ground. Unbind
graffs. Prune all wall and standard trees. To-
wards the end you may inoculate and also increase
by circumposition.

Gather elm seed and sow immediately. Trans-
plant coleflowers, coleworts, beets, leeks, purslain,
&c.,in moist weather ; at least water first the ground
if dry.

Sow peas, radish, turneep,lettice, chervil, cresses,
&c.

Destroy snails, worms, &c.

Begin to lay carnations or July-flowers ; shade,
support and prune such as will blow. Water the
pots and thirsty-plants. Weeding and mowing is
in season, and so is distillation.

Bees now swarm, look diligently to them.

Garden Dishes and Drinks in Season
Cole, beets, parsley,sorrall and other pot-herbes.
Purslain, lettice, and other sallads. Radish, scor-

191

THE SCOTS GARDENER

zonera,asparagus, green peas and artichocks. Green
goosberries. Ripe cherries, rasps, currans, straw-
berries.

Housed aples and pears.

Cyder, metheglin, &c.

JULY

Fallow ground as soon as the crop conies off.
Prune and purge all standard trees. Ply, nail,
prune, and dress your wall-trees. Pull up suckers
and weeds. Haw and water where needful. In-
oculate fruit-trees, shrubs, rare greens, and flower-
trees; increase the same by laying. Clip your
hedges after rain. Suffer such herbes and flowers
to run to seed as you would save, cutting the rest
a handful from the ground.

Sow turneep, radish, lettice, onion, cole-flower,
cabbage, and coleworts in the full moon. Near
the end sow beets, spinage, &c. You may plant
strawberries, violets, camomile. Lay July-flowers.
Plant their seedlings. Slip andsethypaticas, bears-
ears, couslips, helibors, &c. Take up bulbous and
tuberous ones that are dry in their stalks (if you
mind to change their places)and keep till September,
but some should be set immediately.

192

THE GARDENERS KALENDAR
Supply voids with potted annualls. Lay grass

and gravell. Make cherrie and rasberrie wine, &c.
Prevent the bees' later swarms. Kill drons,

wasps, &c.

Garden Dishes and Drinks in Season

Beets and many pot-herbes and sweet herbes.

Beet-card, purslain, lettice, endive, &c.

Cabbage, cole-flower, scorzonera, beet-rave,
carrot, radish, turneep, peas, beans, and kidnees,
artichocks, strawberries, rasps, currans, goos-
berries, cherries, plumes, summer pears and aples.

Cyder, metheglin, and other wines.

AUGUST

Fallow bordures, beds, nurseries, and the bulks
of trees. Yet inoculate. Ply and purge trees. Pull
up suckers and weeds. Clip hedges. Gather the
stones of black cherrie and morella. Gather
mezerion berries. Gather the seeds of most herbes
and flowers. Cut your physick herbes. In the be-
ginning sow cabbage (tho' I confess it's too late.
See last moneth). Beets and beet-card, spinage,
black-radish, chervil, lettice, corn-sallade, endive,
scorzonera, carvy, marygold, angelica, scurvy-
grass, &c. Take up ripe onions, garleeks, and

193 13

THE SCOTS GARDENER

shallot. Unbind buds inoculated. Cut and string
strawberries. Lay July-flowers. Sow columbines,
holyhoks, larks-heels, candy tuffs, popies, and such
as can endure winter.

Take up your bulbs and plant as in the last. Sift
the ground for tulips and gladiolus. Plunge in
potted annualls in vacants. Keep down weeds by
hawing. Lay grass, beat, roll, and mow well.
Make goosberrie and curran wine.

Towards the end take bees, take the lightest first ;
those that are near heaths may differ a little.
Destroy wasps, straiten the passage by putting on
the hecks to secure from robers.

Garden Dishes and Drinks in Season
Many pot-herbes and sallades, cabbage, cole-
flower, beet-card, turneep, radish, carrot, beet-rave,
scorzonera, peas, beans, and kidnees, artichocks,
cucumbers, aples, pears, plumes, apricocks, geens,
goosberries, currans, rasps, strawberries, &c.

Cyder, metheglin, cherrie wine, curran wine,
goosberrie wine, raspberrie wine, &c.

SEPTEMBER

Fallow, trench, and level ground. Prepare pits
and bordures for trees. Gather plane seed, also

194

THE GARD'NERS KALENDAR

almond, peach, and white plum stones. Gather ripe
fruits. Plant f urth cabbage. Remove bulbs and
plant them. Refresh, trame, and house your tender
greens. Refresh and trim pots and cases with July-
flowers and other fine flowers and plants ; carrying
them to pits, shelter and covert, giving them air.

Towards the end gather saffron.

Make cyder, perry, and other wines.

Straiten the entrance to bee-hives, destroy
wasps, &c.

Also you may now remove bees.

Garden Dishes and Drinks in Season
Varieties of pot-herbes and sallades, cabbage,
cole-flower, peas, beans, and kidnees, artichocks,
beet-card, beet-rave, scorzonera, carrots, turneeps,
radish, cucumbers, aples, pears, apricocks, peaches,
nectarines, quince, grapes, barberries, filbeards.

Cyder, liquorish ail, metheglin, and wine of
cherries, rasps, goosberries, currans, &c.

OCTOBER

Gather winter fruits. Trench and fallow grounds
(mixing with proper soil) to ly over the winter.
Prepare manures, mixing and laying in heaps bot-
tom'd and covered with earth. Plant hawthorn

195

THE SCOTS GARDENER

hedges, and all trees that lose their leaves. Also lay
their branches. Prune roses. Gather seeds of hassell,
hawthorn, plan, ash, beach, oak, aple, pear, &c. Cut
strawberries, artichocks, asparagus, covering their
beds with manure and ashes. Earth up winter
sallades,herbesandflowers, alittle. Plantcabbage,
tulips, anemonies and other bulbs. Sow the seed of
bair s-ear s, cowslips, tulips, &c. Beat and roll gravel
and grass. Finish your last weeding and mowing.
Lay bair leoper ed tree roots and remove what harms
them ; also delve and manure such as require it.
Drain excessive moisture wherever it be. Pickle
and conserve fruits. Make perry and cyder.
You may now safely remove bees.

Garden Dishes and Drinks in Season
Coleworts, leeks, cabbage, coleflowers, onions,

shallot, beans. Blanched endive and sellery. Pickled

asparagus, purslain, &c.
Scorzonera, beet-rave, carrots, turneeps, pars-

neeps, potatoes, skirrets, artichocks, cucumbers,

aples, pears, plumes, almond, &c.
Cyder, perry, and wine of cherries, currans, goos-

berries, rasberries, ail of liquorish, metheglin, &c.

FINIS

PRINTED BY

NEILL AND COMPANY, LIMITED,
EDINBURGH.

U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES

CD37E3371S